BUSINESS, INNOVATION AND SKILLS

Broadband

Fabian Hamilton: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills 
	(1)  what steps the Government plan to take to ensure universal availability of broadband access in the UK;
	(2)  what steps he plans to take to assist households in the UK which cannot access broadband services.

Patrick McFadden: The Digital Britain Final Report, published on 16 June, set out the Government's plans to provide a Universal Service Commitment for broadband at a speed of 2Mbps, and the Government will invest approximately £200 million of public funds to support this. The Government will establish an arm's length body, the Network Design and Procurement Group, who will be responsible for the procurement and delivery of this commitment.

Broadband

Fabian Hamilton: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how much his Department has allocated for the roll-out of high-speed broadband in the next three years.

Patrick McFadden: This Department has not allocated central funding for expansion of high-speed broadband in the next three years. The Digital Britain Final Report, published on 16 June, set out the Government's plans to ensure the delivery of high-speed broadband which includes a 50p levy per month on all fixed telephone lines to create a Next General Fund to ensure that high speed broadband reaches the Final third of the country that the market alone will not deliver to.

Broadband

Nigel Evans: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the likely effect on  (a) gross domestic product per capita and  (b) average personal income of connecting all rural households to broadband internet at a speed of at least 2Mbps in each of the next five years.

Patrick McFadden: holding answer 24 June 2009
	Rural households connected to broadband speeds of at least 2Mbps can expect to benefit from improved access to public and government services offered online. They will also benefit from the opportunity to access a wider range of goods and services than before, some of which may not be available in the high street, and at potentially lower prices. Further, connection to 2Mbps broadband will help to reduce the risk to rural households of social exclusion.
	The Department is committed to publishing a full impact assessment containing estimates of the expected costs and benefits once the procurement process has taken place.

Broadband: East of England

Nadine Dorries: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many companies offered high-speed broadband services to households in  (a) Mid Bedfordshire and  (b) the East of England in each year since 1997.

Patrick McFadden: This Department does not hold records in regard to the number of companies which offer high-speed broadband services in  (a) Mid Bedfordshire and  (b) the Eastern region in each year since 1997.

Broadband: East of England

Nadine Dorries: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how much funding his Department has allocated for expansion of high-speed broadband usage in  (a) Mid Bedfordshire and  (b) the East of England since 1997.

Patrick McFadden: This Department has not allocated central funding for expansion of high-speed broadband usage in  (a) Mid Bedfordshire and  (b) the Eastern region since 1997.
	As the hon. Member may already be aware, in the Budget on 22 April the Chancellor confirmed the Government's commitment to delivering a universal service for broadband at a speed of 2 megabits per second, by no later than 2012. In the Digital Britain report, we will set out in greater detail our plan of how the universal service commitment might work and we will be publishing the report very shortly.

Broadband: East of England

Nadine Dorries: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps his Department has taken to ensure competition among high-speed broadband providers in Mid Bedfordshire.

Patrick McFadden: This Department has made no recent steps to ensure competitiveness among high-speed broadband providers specifically in Mid Bedfordshire. However, through Ofcom, the Government have ensured that the majority of consumers across the country benefit from competition in the broadband market by ensuring wholesale access to the BT Openreach network, and the Local Loop Unbundling of BT Exchanges.

Broadband: East of England

Nadine Dorries: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many households in  (a) Mid Bedfordshire and  (b) the East of England had access to high-speed broadband services in each year since 1997.

Patrick McFadden: The matter raised is the responsibility of the independent regulator, the Office of Communications (Ofcom), which is accountable to Parliament rather than Ministers. Accordingly, i have asked the chief executive of Ofcom to reply directly to the hon. Member. Copies of the chief executive's letter will be placed in both the Libraries of the House.

Broadband: Essex

Bob Spink: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many households in  (a) Essex and  (b) Castle Point have had access to high-speed broadband services in each year since 1997.

Patrick McFadden: The matter raised is the responsibility of the independent regulator, the Office of Communications (Ofcom), which is accountable to Parliament rather than Ministers. Accordingly, I have asked the chief executive of Ofcom to reply directly to the hon. Member. Copies of the chief executive's letter will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

Broadband: Essex

Bob Spink: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many companies offered high-speed broadband services to households in  (a) Essex and  (b) Castle Point in each year since 1997.

Patrick McFadden: This Department does not hold records in regard to the numbers of companies which offer high speed broadband services in Essex and Castle Point in each year since 1997.

Broadband: Merseyside

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many companies offered high-speed broadband services to households in  (a) Crosby and  (b) Merseyside in each year since 1997.

Patrick McFadden: This Department does not hold records in regard to the number of companies which offer high-speed broadband usage in  (a) Crosby and  (b) Merseyside in each year since 1997.

Broadband: Milton Keynes

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the number of households in Milton Keynes which do not have access to high-speed broadband.

Patrick McFadden: The matter raised is the responsibility of the independent regulator, the Office of Communications (Ofcom), which is accountable to Parliament rather than Ministers. Accordingly, I have asked the chief executive of Ofcom to reply directly to the hon. Member. Copies of the chief executive's letter will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

Broadband: Milton Keynes

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how much funding the Government has allocated for expansion of high-speed broadband usage in Milton Keynes.

Patrick McFadden: This Department has not allocated central funding for expansion of high-speed broadband to Milton Keynes. The Digital Britain Final Report, published on 16 June, set out the Government's plans to ensure the delivery of high-speed broadband which includes a 50p levy per month on all fixed telephone lines to create a Next Generation Fund to ensure that high-speed broadband reaches the final third of the country that the market alone will not deliver to.

Broadband: Rural Areas

Patrick McLoughlin: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the number of people living in remote rural areas who have access to broadband.

Patrick McFadden: The matter raised is the responsibility of the independent regulator, the Office of Communications (Ofcom), which is accountable to Parliament rather than Ministers. Accordingly, I have asked the chief executive of Ofcom to reply directly to the hon. Member. Copies of the chief executive's letter will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

Business: Government Assistance

Mark Hoban: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the number of businesses taking out loans under the  (a) Working Capital and  (b) Enterprise Finance Guarantee scheme in the next 12 months;
	(2)  how many loans he estimates will be taken out under the Enterprise Finance Guarantee Scheme in the next 12 months; and what estimate he has made of the average value of such loans.

Rosie Winterton: The Enterprise Finance Guarantee, Capital for Enterprise Fund and the Working Capital Scheme were announced under the Real Help with Finance package on 14 January.
	Since its launch on 14 January, the Enterprise Finance Guarantee has nearly £495 million of eligible applications from 4,420 firms that have been granted, are being processed or assessed.
	With respect to £75 million "Capital for Enterprise" equity scheme the appointed fund managers have received serious proposals seeking a total of around £100 million of investment.
	The appointed fund managers have so far made offers totalling nearly £11 million to eight businesses. Three businesses have accepted the terms of the funding offered with a total value of £2.4 million. The fund managers are continuing due diligence on the further proposals that have been put forward.
	The Working Capital Scheme is not available directly to businesses. The scheme enables participating banks to increase the amount of working capital they can make available to businesses.

Business: Government Assistance

David Amess: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many businesses in Southend-on-Sea have  (a) applied for and  (b) received assistance from the (i) Enterprise Finance Guarantee Scheme and (ii) Capital for Enterprise Fund in 2009; and how much funding has been provided to businesses in Southend-on-Sea under each such scheme in 2009 to date.

Rosie Winterton: The Department records information on the Enterprise Finance Guarantee and Capital for Enterprise Fund on a regional basis, including the East of England. It does not hold the information at the level requested and it could only be provided at disproportionate cost.
	Set out in the tables is the information for East of England since the launch of the Enterprise Finance Guarantee and Capital for Enterprise Fund on 14 January:
	
		
			  Enterprise Finance Guarantee 
			   Number  Value (£ million) 
			 Eligible Applications 427 38 
			 Loans Offered 397 35.4 
			 Loans drawn 258 24.7 
		
	
	
		
			   Capital for Enterprise Fund 
			 Number of inquiries 44 
			 Investment required (£ million) 38.5 
			   
			 Number of inquiries at advanced stage of processing 2 
			 Value of inquiries under consideration (£ million) 4.0 
		
	
	The fund managers are continuing due diligence on the proposals that have been put forward.

Business: Government Assistance

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many businesses in Peterborough have  (a) applied for and  (b) received assistance from the (i) Enterprise Finance Guarantee scheme and (ii) Capital for Enterprise Fund in 2009; and how much funding has been provided to businesses in Peterborough under each such scheme in 2009.

Rosie Winterton: The Department records information on the Enterprise Finance Guarantee and Capital for Enterprise Fund on a regional basis, including the East of England. It does not hold the information at the level you request and it could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	Set out in the following tables is the information for East of England since the launch of the Enterprise Finance Guarantee and Capital for Enterprise Fund on 14 January:
	
		
			  Enterprise Finance Guarantee 
			   Number  Value (£ million) 
			 Eligible applications 427 38 
			 Loans offered 397 35.4 
			 Loans drawn 258 24.7 
		
	
	
		
			   Capital for Enterprise Fund 
			 Number of inquiries 44 
			 Investment required (£ million) 38.5 
			   
			 Number of inquiries at advanced stage of processing 2 
			 Value of inquiries under consideration (£ million) 4.0 
		
	
	The fund managers are continuing due diligence on the proposals that have been put forward.

Cabinet: Glasgow

Angus MacNeil: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what car journeys were taken by the Secretary of State in attending the Cabinet meeting in Glasgow on 16 April 2009.

Patrick McFadden: For information relating to the Cabinet and public engagement event held in Glasgow on 16 April I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister on Wednesday 3 June 2009,  Official Report, column 487W.

Credit: Insurance

Grant Shapps: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many applications have been  (a) received and  (b) accepted for the credit insurance scheme announced in Budget 2009.

Rosie Winterton: Take-up is demand-led as it depends on the number of credit limit reductions in the private sector. We publish information on scheme take-up on a monthly basis. In May, the first month in which the scheme was operational, there were 13 policies written, to a value of £718,000.

Demos

Tom Watson: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills whether his Department has any contracts with the think-tank Demos.

Patrick McFadden: Central records indicate that the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills currently has no contracts with the think-tank Demos.

Departmental Business Plans

David Evennett: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills when he expects to publish a business plan for his Department.

Patrick McFadden: The publication process for a BIS business plan has not yet been agreed. Decisions will be taken over the summer to fully integrate and align priorities for the new Department, which will then be set out in a new business plan document.

Departmental Carbon Emissions

James Paice: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the volume of carbon dioxide emissions arising from road-based transport for administrative operations by his Department and its predecessors in  (a) 2006-07 and  (b) 2007-08 (i) in total and (ii) per full-time equivalent member of staff.

Patrick McFadden: For the period 2006-07 the volume of carbon dioxide emissions arising from road-based transport for admin operations was 393 tonnes equivalent to 0.12 tonnes per full-time member of staff.
	For the period 2007-08 the volume of carbon dioxide emissions arising from road-based transport for admin operations was 349 tonnes equivalent to 0.10 tonnes per full-time member of staff.
	These figures are for the main Department only and do not include the Department's agencies.

Departmental Carbon Emissions

James Paice: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the volume of carbon dioxide emissions arising from air travel by staff in his Department and its predecessors in  (a) 2006-07 and  (b) 2007-08 (i) in total and (ii) per full-time equivalent member of staff.

Patrick McFadden: For the period 2006-07 the volume of carbon dioxide emissions arising from air travel was 4,469 tonnes equivalent to 1.4 tonnes per full-time member of staff.
	For the period 2007-08 the volume of carbon dioxide emissions arising from air travel was 5,933 tonnes equivalent to 1.7 tonnes per full-time member of staff.
	These figures are for the main Department only and do not include the Department's agencies.

Departmental Correspondence

Alistair Burt: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what percentage of letters to his Department's predecessor from hon. Members' parliamentary offices were answered within 30 days from the date of receipt in each quarter from January 2008 to March 2009.

Patrick McFadden: The Cabinet Office, on an annual basis, publishes a report to Parliament on the performance of Departments in replying to Members' correspondence. The report for 2008 was published on 2 April 2009,  Official Report, columns 80-86WS.

Departmental Data Protection

James Brokenshire: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many notifications his Department made to the Information Commissioner in the year ended 30 April 2009 in respect of the loss or mishandling of personal information or data; what was notified in each such case; and how many individuals were the subjects of personal information or data in respect of which such notifications were made.

Patrick McFadden: Under the mandatory requirements of the Data Handling Report published on 25 June 2008 Departments are required to give a summary report on data breaches reported to the Information Commissioner in their annual resource accounts.
	The Department for Enterprise and Regulatory Reform has reported on personal data breaches in the 2007-08 annual resource account and this can be found at:
	http://www.berr.gov.uk/aboutus/corporate/performance/annual-spending/page47093.html
	We will be publishing information on personal data security breaches reported to the Information Commissioner for the 2008-09 reporting year before Parliament rises in July. I am however, pleased to report that there were no losses of personal protected data reported to Information Commissioners Office in 2008-09.

Departmental Electricity

James Paice: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the percentage of electricity used by his Department and its predecessors which was derived from renewable sources in  (a) 2006-07 and  (b) 2007-08.

Patrick McFadden: I would refer the hon. Member to the Sustainable Development in Government (SDiG) reports in which central Government Departments publicly reported on the data requested. The most recent report can be found at:
	http://www.sd-commission.org.uk/sdig2008/.

Departmental Expenditure

John Penrose: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what the total budget of his Department is for  (a) 2009-10 and  (b) each of the following four years.

Patrick McFadden: The creation of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills brings together the estimates for the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills and the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform. Figures for 2009-10 and 2010-11 are available in the supplementary budgetary information (SBI). The summation of the resource budget for DIUS and BERR is £19.9 billion for 2009-10 and £20.0 billion for 2010-11. The summation of the capital budget for DIUS and BERR is £8.3 billion for 2009-10 and £7.2 billion for 2010-11. Budgets beyond 2010-11 have not yet been determined.

Departmental Expenditure

David Evennett: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the cost of establishing his Department following the recent machinery of Government changes.

Patrick McFadden: The costs of setting up the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills are ongoing and the processes will take some time to complete. Costs of establishing the new Department will be published as a note to the annual report and accounts in 2010.

Departmental Expenditure

John Penrose: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what the cost of establishing his Department is.

Patrick McFadden: The costs of setting up the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills have not been finalised and the processes will take some time to complete. Costs of establishing the new Department will be published as a note to the annual report and accounts in 2010.

Departmental Internet

Grant Shapps: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills on what date the domain name  (a) www.berr.gov.uk,  (b) www.dius.gov.uk and  (c) www.bis.gov.uk was registered.

Patrick McFadden: The domains in question were registered on the following dates:
	www.berr.gov.uk—29 June 2007
	www.dius.gov.uk—27 June 2007
	www.bis.gov.uk—11 June 2009

Departmental Marketing

Paul Holmes: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how much was spent by the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills on marketing itself during its existence.

Patrick McFadden: The Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills brought together the science, innovation, higher and further education agendas together for the first time.
	In order to promote the new Department, it spent a total of £171,441. This included two events for stakeholders and delivery partners, a leaflet to explain the training offer for businesses and the inclusions of DIUS stands and publicity at key events for employers and universities.
	In addition the Department spent £953,911 on the creation of a new website. This included the design of both an initial website launched shortly after the creation of the Department and a later improved version. This total covers the purchase of hosting and content management system as well as project management and content migration (i.e. staff) costs.
	As well as promoting the Department these activities were also used to inform employers and individuals of the support services it funds to help them. These continue to be managed by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.

Departmental Marketing

John Penrose: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how much his Department  (a) has spent to date and  (b) plans to spend on its (i) signage, (ii) websites, (iii) letterheads and (iv) other branding in 2009-10.

Patrick McFadden: The costs of setting up the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills are ongoing and the processes will take some time to complete. Costs of establishing the new Department will be published as a note to the Annual Report and Accounts in 2010.

Departmental Official Hospitality

Grant Shapps: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how much his Department and its predecessor spent on event management services in each of the last three years; and whether any such services were supplied by external providers.

Patrick McFadden: holding answer 12 May 2009
	 Central financial records indicate that the following was spent by the former BERR on events management, including spend with external providers:
	
		
			   £ 
			 2008-09 1,587,402.08 
			 2007-08 4,064,306.91 
			 2006-07 1,355,389.54 
		
	
	These figures are taken from the Department's finance system and may cover a wider range of expenditure than requested in the question.

Departmental Publications

David Willetts: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills when he expects the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills' Departmental Report for 2009 to be published.

Patrick McFadden: We expect that the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills' Departmental Annual Report will be published in early July. DIUS's Departmental Annual Report was originally due to be published on 12 June. Following the Machinery of Government changes on 5 June, and in consultation with HM Treasury, the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills decided to delay publication so that minor redrafting could be undertaken to reflect those changes.

Departmental Publicity

Colin Challen: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the cost of rebranding necessitated by the creation of his Department; and under what budgetary heading he expects such expenditure to be incurred.

Patrick McFadden: The costs of setting up the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills are ongoing and the processes will take some time to complete. Costs of establishing the new Department will be published as a note to the Annual Report and Accounts in 2010.

Departmental Recycling

James Paice: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what  (a) volume and  (b) percentage of waste his Department and its predecessors recycled in (i) 2006-07 and (ii) 2007-08.

Patrick McFadden: I refer the hon. Member to the Sustainable Development in Government (SDiG) reports in which central Government Departments publicly reported on the data requested. The most recent report can be found at:
	http://www.sd-commission.org.uk/sdig2008/.

Departmental Reorganisation

Lorely Burt: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of merging the Department of Innovation, Universities and Skills and the Department of Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform to form his Department.

Patrick McFadden: The Machinery of Government changes of 5 June 2009 announced the creation of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) through the merger of the former Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR) and Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS).
	It is not possible at this stage to give an estimate of the costs involved in establishing the new Department; however, all costs will be covered from the existing budgets of the two former Departments. There will be no new money available.
	There will be costs covering re-branding, and some limited cost as senior officials and Ministers move to the former BERR building at 1 Victoria Street.
	Some staff from the former DIUS already share a building managed by the former BERR, and the two have the same IT supplier. Over the longer term there will be opportunities to rationalise the estate and make savings.
	The processes of setting up the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills are ongoing and will take some time to complete.

Departmental Reorganisation

Paul Holmes: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of re-branding the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform as the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.

Patrick McFadden: The costs of setting up the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills are ongoing and the processes will take some time to complete. The costs will be met from within existing resources. The costs of establishing the new Department will be published as a note to the Annual Report and Accounts in 2010.

Departmental Reorganisation

Paul Holmes: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what expenditure was incurred by his Department's predecessors on the establishment of the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills.

Patrick McFadden: The cost of setting up the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills in June 2007 was met within the existing departmental budgets of the former Department for Education and Skills (now Department for Children, Schools and Families) and the former Department for Trade and Industry.

Departmental Responsibilities

David Laws: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what committees the Secretary of State chairs; and if he will make a statement.

Patrick McFadden: The Secretary of State chairs MISC 33 (the Ministerial Committee on the Post Office network). A revised Cabinet Committee list will be published shortly.

Departmental Responsibilities

Peter Luff: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills which Minister in his Department will take over responsibility for the Digital Britain agenda from Lord Carter of Barnes; and if he will make a statement.

Patrick McFadden: This will be decided in due course.

Digital Broadcasting

Gordon Banks: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills with reference to recommendation 57 on page 16 of the Digital Britain White Paper, what assistance his Department will provide to households who are unable to meet the 50 pence per month charge to be levied on fixed lines as payment for the Next Generation Fund and who are not on a social telephony scheme.

Patrick McFadden: holding answer 19 June 2009
	We have recognised that those on the lowest incomes might have difficulty paying the fixed line levy and that is why we have confirmed that those on social telephony schemes will be exempt. The social telephony schemes are available to those on income support, income-based Job Seeker's Allowance, Employment Support Allowance (income-rated) or Guaranteed Pensions Credit and should be an accurate indication of ability to pay. We have no plans for additional exemptions from the levy.

Digital Broadcasting

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will estimate the annual revenue to the public purse of the proposed levy of 50 pence per month on each fixed copper line proposed in the Digital Britain White Paper.

Patrick McFadden: holding answer 23 June 2009
	 In the Digital Britain report, the Government estimated that a supplement of 50p per month can be expected to raise £150 million-£175 million a year for the Next Generation Fund.

Digital Technology: Conferences

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what the cost to  (a) his Department and  (b) the public purse was of hosting the Digital Britain Summit on 17 April 2009.

Patrick McFadden: holding answer 11 May 2009
	As we set out in the Interim Digital Britain report we have held a number of summits and public meetings. The total cost to the Government of holding events in London, Edinburgh, Cardiff and Belfast was £59,798. The Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform contributed £34,507.

Employment Agencies: Conditions of Employment

Bob Spink: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many employment agencies have been found by a court to have been in breach of the law in respect of allegations first made through the Pay and Work Rights helpline in each of the last 12 months.

Patrick McFadden: The Pay and Work Rights helpline was launched on 18 May 2009. No prosecutions of employment agencies have been taken forward in respect of a complaint received by the new helpline yet.
	Successful prosecutions of employment agencies were secured in January and June 2009 as a result of complaints made to the Employment Agency Standards (EAS) helpline before its transfer.

Export Credit Guarantees

Adrian Bailey: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills 
	(1)  if he will bring forward proposals for Government support for trade credit insurance for exports in line with those for domestic trade;
	(2)  what steps are being taken by the Export Credits Guarantee Department to provide Government support for short-term trade finance for exports.

Ian Lucas: holding answer 13 May 2009
	Since the start of 2009, the Government have introduced a number of initiatives which will provide real help to exporters, as well as other businesses, during the current economic downturn. These have included the Working Capital Scheme, and ECGD is currently consulting on proposals for a Letter of Credit Guarantee Scheme. The Government are considering other measures to provide real help to UK exporters, including a possible export trade credit insurance scheme along the lines of that announced for domestic business in the Budget which will address the cash flow, credit and investment needs of businesses.

Higher Education: Admissions

Shailesh Vara: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what proportion of those resident in  (a) North West Cambridgeshire constituency,  (b) Cambridgeshire,  (c) Peterborough,  (d) the East of England region,  (e) Huntingdonshire and (f) England entered university in each of the last 10 years.

David Lammy: The Government do not collect data on the number of people resident in a particular area who are not in higher education. Therefore, it is not possible to calculate what proportion of people resident in North West Cambridgeshire constituency, Cambridgeshire, Peterborough, the East of England, or Huntingdonshire entered university in each of the last 10 years.
	The numbers of entrants to higher education from North West Cambridgeshire constituency, Cambridgeshire, Peterborough, the East of England, Huntingdonshire and England, in each of the last 10 years, are shown as an alternative in the tables.
	Figures for the 2008-09 academic year will be available in January 2010.
	
		
			  Entrants( 1)  from North West Cambridgeshire parliamentary constituency( 2) , Cambridgeshire local authority( 2)  and Peterborough  local authority( 2)  to UK higher education institutions academic  y ears 1998-99 to 2007-08 
			  Academic year  North West Cambridgeshire  Cambridgeshire  Peterborough 
			 1998-99 795 5,775 1,215 
			 1999-2000 810 5,945 1,175 
			 2000-01 725 5,555 1,120 
			 2001-02 885 6,040 1,245 
			 2002-03 865 6,045 1,195 
			 2003-04 930 6,100 1,280 
			 2004-05 955 6,365 1,395 
			 2005-06 955 6,305 1,300 
			 2006-07 875 6,225 1,205 
			 2007-08 1,035 5,530 1,395 
			 (1) Covers undergraduate and postgraduate entrants to full-time and part-time courses. (2) Parliamentary constituency and local authority are defined by full and valid home postcodes recorded on the HESA student record.  Note: Figures are on a snapshot basis as at 1 December and are rounded to the nearest five.  Source: Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA). 
		
	
	
		
			  Entrants( 1)  from the East of England government region( 2) , Huntingdonshire census district( 2)  and England to UK higher education institutions academic years 1998-99 to 2007-08 
			  Academic year  East of England  Huntingdonshire  England 
			 1998-99 47,510 1,415 516,930 
			 1999-2000 48,655 1,505 515,565 
			 2000-01 48,740 1,350 516,750 
			 2001-02 52,035 1,535 548,000 
			 2002-03 52,915 1,525 570,695 
			 2003-04 54,695 1,555 578,790 
			 2004-05 54,295 1,505 579,200 
			 2005-06 55,295 1,540 598,745 
			 2006-07 52,905 1,575 575,085 
			 2007-08 55,590 1,590 589,055 
			 (1) Covers undergraduate and postgraduate entrants to full-time and part-time courses. (2) Government region and census district are defined by full and valid home postcodes recorded on the HESA student record.  Note: Figures are on a snapshot basis as at 1 December and are rounded to the nearest five.  Source: Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA). 
		
	
	The Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) published 'Young participation in higher education' in January 2005, which is available from the HEFCE website at
	http://www.hefce.ac.uk/pubs/hefce/2005/05_03/
	The HEFCE report shows participation rates for young people who enter higher education aged 18 or 19 disaggregated by parliamentary constituency, local education authority and region for the years 1997 to 2000.
	At national level, the Higher Education Initial Participation Rate (HEIPR) covers English-domiciled 17 to 30-year-old first-time entrants to higher education courses, at UK higher education institutions and English, Scottish and Welsh further education colleges, who remain on their course for at least six months. The latest available figure is 43 per cent. in 2007-08.

Higher Education: Anti-Semitism

David Amess: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps his Department  (a) has taken and  (b) plans to take to reduce levels of anti-Semitism in universities; what recent discussions Ministers and officials in his Department have had on this issue; what recent representations he has received on this issue; and if he will make a statement.

David Lammy: This Department has set up a group on anti-Semitism and Higher Education to facilitate discussions between the Jewish community and higher education stakeholders, which I chair. We see this group as playing an important role in helping to tackle anti-Semitism in higher education. The first meeting took place in April and resulted in practical actions to be taken forward by higher education stakeholders and Jewish Community representatives working collaboratively.

London Development Agency: Manpower

Bob Spink: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many  (a) directors,  (b) senior managers,  (c) specialist and delivery managers and  (d) executive support and administration staff there were in each London Development Agency office in each of the last five years.

Rosie Winterton: The London Development Agency is primarily accountable to the Mayor of London, and the Government do not collect detailed information on its organisational structure.

Ministerial Responsibility

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what proportion of Lord Davies of Abersoch's working time as a Minister is spent on matters relating to his Department.

Patrick McFadden: Lord Davies of Abersoch is the Minister for Trade, Investment and Business. He reports jointly to the Business Secretary and Foreign Secretary in respect of UK Trade and Investment, but this is not a matter of dividing time between two Departments, as UK T&I is a joint operation.

Network Design and Procurement Group

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what arrangements he proposes to make for the recruitment of the chief executive officer of the Network Design and Procurement Group announced in the Digital Britain White Paper; and what the salary scale for the post will be.

Patrick McFadden: As set out in the Digital Britain report, the Government will by the end of October this year, seek to recruit a CEO for the Network Design and Procurement Group with network, procurement, delivery and management skills. The recruitment will follow standard procedures for public appointments.

Network Design and Procurement Group

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what criteria he will use to select members of the Network Design and Procurement Group announced in the Digital Britain White Paper; and when he expects the appointment process to be complete.

Patrick McFadden: holding answer 23 June 2009
	Recruitment of the CEO for the Network Design and Procurement Group is the priority and an important role for the CEO will be to advise on and recruit people for the group with the skills required to deliver the Universal Service Commitment. I hope that the appointment process will be complete during the autumn.

Phorm

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will publish his Department's replies to the European Communications Commissioner's letters of 30 June 2008, 6 October 2008 and January 2009 on Phorm.

Patrick McFadden: It is not the Government's policy to publish such correspondence. Publication of these letters has already been sought by members of the public under the Freedom of Information Act 2000. Each request has been refused, and this position has not changed.

Phorm

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent representations he has received on the compliance with UK and EU legislation of the use of Phorm's targeted online advertising technology by internet service providers.

Patrick McFadden: In April 2008, the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) issued a statement on the use of Phorm under UK law:
	http://www.ico.gov.uk/upload/documents/pressreleases/2008/new_phorm_statement_040408.pdf.
	A further Government statement was issued on 16 September 2008 (as follows).
	Since the latter statement was released, neither this Department nor its predecessor Departments have received any further representations on the compliance of Phorm's technology.
	The Government statement of September 2008 was as follows:
	The UK is committed to providing a high level of consumer protection. We take our community obligations very seriously especially in the area of data protection and e-privacy. The possible future use of Phorm technology has raised material concerns in this area and the UK authorities are working to ensure that if it is introduced into the market for internet based advertising services, this is done in a lawful, appropriate and transparent fashion.
	After conducting its inquiries with Phorm the UK authorities consider that Phorm's products are capable of being operated in this fashion on the following basis:
	the user profiling occurs with the knowledge and agreement of the customer;
	the profile is based on a unique ID allocated at random which means that there is no need to know the identity of the individual users;
	Phorm does not keep a record of the actual sites visited;
	search terms used by the user and the advertising categories exclude certain sensitive terms and have been widely drawn so as not to reveal the identity of the user;
	Phorm does not have nor want information which would enable it to link a user ID and profile to a living individual;
	users will be presented with an unavoidable statement about the product and asked to exercise a choice about whether to be involved; and
	users will be able to easily access information on how to change their mind at any point and are free to opt in or out of the scheme.
	Future developments involving Phorm will be closely scrutinised and monitored by the enforcement authorities.

Post Offices: Bank Services

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent assessment his Department has made of the merits of the Post Bank initiative.

Patrick McFadden: Post Office Ltd. currently plays a vital role providing access to financial services through its national network of around 11,500 branches. It already offers an extensive range of financial services products including savings, insurance, mortgages, credit cards, and over 1,600 free-to-use cash machines providing further access to cash across the network.
	We are keen for Post Office Ltd. to increase its financial services offering using its unrivalled network to put a wider range of services within reasonable reach of the whole UK population.

Post Offices: Closures

Tim Farron: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the number of community-run post offices which have closed in each year since 1997.

Patrick McFadden: This is an operational matter for Post Office Ltd. (POL). I have, therefore, asked Alan Cook, managing director of POL to reply directly to the hon. Member.
	Copies of the reply will be placed in the Libraries of the House.

Regeneration: Bournemouth

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what funding South West Regional Development Agency has allocated to the regeneration of Shelley Manor in Bournemouth in each of the next three years; when such funds will be delivered to the regeneration project; and if he will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: holding answer 22 June 2009
	 South West of England Regional Development Agency has no funding allocated for the regeneration of Shelley Manor, Bournemouth.

Regional Development Agencies

Julia Goldsworthy: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what regional strategies each regional development agency is participating in.

Rosie Winterton: holding answer 1 June 2009
	 Each regional development agency (except the London Development Agency—see table) participates in two statutory over-arching strategies: the regional economic strategy (RES) and the regional spatial strategy. The aim of the RES is to improve economic performance and enhance regional competitiveness, addressing market failures that prevent sustainable economic development, regeneration and business growth. It is drawn up and kept under review by the RDA.
	The RSS (which incorporates a regional transport strategy) provides a spatial framework to inform the preparation of land-use programmes. It takes into account provision for new housing; priorities for the environment; transport, infrastructure, economic development, agriculture, minerals extraction and waste treatment and disposal.
	RDAs may also lead the development of non-statutory strategies with regional partners. Examples of these are listed in the table.
	Following the Government's 2007 Sub-National Review of Economic Development and Regeneration, RDAs are working with local authorities to prepare development of integrated regional strategies, replacing the current regional economic strategy and regional spatial strategy. The Local Democracy Economic Development and Construction Bill will enact this. The London Development Agency, working with the GLA, has its own arrangements in this matter.
	The following table lists non-statutory strategies by region:
	
		
			  RDA  Regional strategies 
			 AWM Examples of external strategies that help deliver the RES are shown as follows. These are augmented by a series of tactical internal strategies and plans which relate to AWM's main areas of responsibility. 
			  Regional Marketing Strategic Framework 
			  International Business Action Plan 
			  Skills Action Plan 
			  West Midlands Manufacturing Support Strategy 
			  Regional Visitor Economy Strategy 
			   
			 EEDA Regional Business Support Strategy 
			  Regional Women's Enterprise Strategy 
			  Regional Higher-level Skills Strategy 
			  Regional Strategic Framework for Manufacturing 2007-12 
			  Regional Adult Skills and Employment Strategy 
			  Regional Social Strategy 
			   
			 Emda Underpinning the RES and RSS are a number of sector based strategies and action plans that contain the activities required to implement the vision and aims of the two statutory strategies: 
			  East Midlands Innovation Strategy and Action Plan 2007-11 
			  East Midlands Business Support Strategy 2008-11 
			  East Midlands Tourism Strategy 2003-10 
			  Employment Skills and Productivity Partnership Action Plan 
			  Regional Energy Strategy 
			  Regional Transport Strategy 
			   
			 LDA As part of London's unique governance arrangements, the Mayor of London produces a number of statutory and non statutory strategies, including the London Plan, the Mayor's Transport Strategy and the Mayor's Economic Development Strategy. As a functional body of the Greater London Authority, the London Development Agency is involved to varying degrees in the development and delivery of the majority of these strategies. 
			   
			 NWDA NW Regional Housing Strategy 
			   
			 ONE ONE and the region's local authorities have developed action plans to take forward the delivery of the RES and the Regional Spatial Strategy. ONE has worked with partners to develop the following: 
			  Regional Employment and Skills Strategy 
			  Regional Enterprise Strategy 
			  Regional Innovation Strategy 
			  Regional International Trade Strategy 
			  Regional Digital Strategy 
			  Regional Housing Strategy 
			  North East Environment Strategy 
			  North East Tourism Strategy 
			  Additionally, ONE has developed 'mini' strategies in relation to low carbon vehicles, off-shore wind power and printable plastic technologies in response to the Government's New Industry, New Jobs agenda. 
			   
			 SEEDA Partner organisation sector based strategies which SEEDA participates in include two South East NHS Trust strategies for action on health, to achieve a healthy work force best placed to deliver smart growth. 
			   
			 SWERDA Regional Skills Strategy 
			  Regional Enterprise Strategy 
			  Regional Innovation Strategy 
			  South West International Trade Strategy 
			   
			 YF In addition to delivering the Regional Economic Strategy and the Integrated Regional Strategy that will replace it, Yorkshire Forward works with partners to join up other strategies to the RES in the interests of integration and effectiveness. These are listed as follows: 
			  Regional Innovation Strategy 
			  Regional Visitor Economy Strategy 
			  Regional Housing Strategy 
			  Regional Cultural Strategy 
			  Regional Major Events Strategy 
			  Yorkshire Gold Strategy (relating to the 2012 Olympics) 
			  Regional Forestry Strategy

Regional Development Agencies: Finance

Bob Neill: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent changes there have been to the investment budgets of each regional development agency.

Rosie Winterton: The RDAs' investment budgets are their Capital budgets. Changes were made to the RDAs' Capital budgets to take account of the following Government initiatives:
	HomeBuy Direct: RDAs' contribution was £25 million (2009-10);
	Fiscal Stimulus: RDAs bringing forward £100 million of their regeneration projects from 2010-11 to 2009-10; and
	Capital for Enterprise Fund: RDAs' contribution of £10 million in 2009-10.
	The following table shows how individual RDA Capital budgets, given to them as indicative allocation following the Comprehensive Spending Review 2007 Settlement, were affected in 2009-10 by the above initiatives. All figures are in £ million.
	
		
			   2009-10 
			   Indicative Allocation 
			  RDA  Capital Budgets  (£ million)  Change (£ million) 
			 Advantage West Midlands 136 16 
			 East of England Development Agency 57 4 
			 East Midlands Development Agency 75 1 
			 London Development Agency 186 -6 
			 North West Development Agency 191 14 
			 One North East 124 6 
			 South East England Development Agency 68 4 
			 South West Regional Development Agency 70 7 
			 Yorkshire Forward 148 18

Regional Development Agencies: Mass Media

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills which organisations have provided media monitoring services to  (a) each of the regional development agencies and  (b) the national secretariat to the agencies in each of the last three years; and what the cost was of her Department's contract with each such organisation.

Patrick McFadden: The table shows organisations that have provided media monitoring services to RDAs and the RDA National Secretariat in the last three years.
	
		
			  RDA  Media monitoring services  Cost (£) 
			  2008-09   
			 AWM Haven Research 27,952 
			 EEDA TNS; EDS Media (now Precise) 9,000 
			 EMDA EDS Media (now Precise) 29,004 
			 LDA(1) Speedex, Newsping 18,000 
			 NWDA Cision 21,824 
			 ONE EDS Media (now Precise) 35,291 
			 SEEDA Cision, Meltwater, Durrants, Newsping, Precise 19,884 
			 SWRDA TNS; Durrants 33,036 
			 YF TNS; EDS Media (now Precise) 24,876 
			 RDA Secretariat Meltwater 4,738 
			
			  2007-08   
			 AWM Haven Research 20,467 
			 EEDA Cision; Magenta; Metrica 20,000 
			 EMDA EDS Media (now Precise) 19,999 
			 LDA(1) Speedex, Newsping 9,210 
			 NWDA Cision 14,441 
			 ONE TNS; Meltwater 32,154 
			 SEEDA Cision, Meltwater, Durrants, Newsping, Precise 26,811 
			 SWRDA TNS; Durrants; Newsping 36, 544 
			 YF TNS; EDS Media (now Precise) 21,385 
			 RDA Secretariat Meltwater 4,353 
			
			  2006-07   
			 AWM Haven Research 15,807 
			 EEDA Cision; Magenta 19,000 
			 EMDA Romeike 41,472 
			 LDA(1) Speedex, Newsping 5,437 
			 NWDA Cision 21,864 
			 ONE TNS; Meltwater 18,864 
			 SEEDA Cision, Meltwater, Durrants, Newsping, Precise 24,819 
			 SWRDA TNS; Durrants; Newsping 27,152 
			 YF TNS; EDS Media (now Precise) 30,014 
			 RDA Secretariat Meltwater 3,520 
			 (1) During the period 2006-07 to 2008-09 the LDA also made an annual contribution towards the GLA Group In-House cuttings service of approximately £75,000 per annum.

Rover Group

Mark Prisk: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills whether he has received the report of the inspectors investigating MG Rover.

Ian Lucas: holding answer 2 July 2009
	The inspectors delivered their report on 11 June 2009. It will be for my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State to consider its findings and next steps.

CHILDREN, SCHOOLS AND FAMILIES

Departmental Carbon Emissions

James Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what estimate he has made of the volume of carbon dioxide emissions from offices in his Department in  (a) 2006-07 and  (b) 2007-08 (i) in total and (ii) per full-time equivalent member of staff.

Diana Johnson: The Department for Children, Schools and Families makes an annual report to the Sustainable Development Commission on carbon dioxide emissions from offices as part of their returns for the Sustainable Development in Government (SDiG) report.
	From the 2007 and 2008 SDiG reports—available in full under 'Publications' at:
	http://www.sd-commission.org.uk/
	—carbon dioxide emissions for the office estate was reported as  (a) 10,321 tonnes in 2006-07 and  (b) 12,316 tonnes in 2007-08 which equated to (aii) 1.705 tonnes per full-time equivalent and (bii) 1.789 tonnes per full-time equivalent.

Grants for Education Support and Training

Phil Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many families were  (a) eligible for and  (b) awarded grants under the Home Access Grant scheme in the (i) Oldham and (ii) Suffolk pilot area.

Iain Wright: The answer to the question is set out in the following table.
	
		
			   Suffolk  Oldham  Total 
			  (a) Estimate eligible population (number) 8,449 4,758 13,207 
			  (b) Grants issued (number) 7,545 4,115 11,660 
			 
			 Percentage of estimated eligible learners served 89 86 88

Pupil Exclusions

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many and what proportion of pupils who are permanently excluded from a mainstream maintained  (a) primary and  (b) secondary school were placed in a (i) maintained school and (ii) pupil referral unit in the most recent year for which figures are available.

Vernon Coaker: The requested information could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Pupil Exclusions

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families pursuant to the answer of 29 June 2009,  Official Report, column 50W, on pupil exclusions, how many of the exclusions were from  (a) primary,  (b) secondary and  (c) special schools.

Vernon Coaker: This information is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Primary, secondary and special schools( 1,2) : Number of pupils receiving fixed period exclusions three or more times, England 2006-07, by local authority area, by Government office region in England 
			   Maintained primary schools  State-funded secondary schools  Special schools  Total 
			  
			 England 4,850 38,590 2,130 45,570 
			  
			  North East 160 1,640 110 1,910 
			 Darlington 20 190 10 220 
			 Durham 50 390 30 470 
			 Gateshead 10 60 * 80 
			 Hartlepool * 40 0 40 
			 Middlesbrough 10 160 * 170 
			 Newcastle upon Tyne 10 150 * 160 
			 North Tyneside 10 60 10 80 
			 Northumberland 20 210 10 240 
			 Redcar and Cleveland 10 110 10 130 
			 South Tyneside 0 120 0 120 
			 Stockton-on-Tees 10 90 20 110 
			 Sunderland 20 70 10 100 
			  
			  North West 560 5,330 380 6,260 
			 Blackburn with Darwen 10 90 * 110 
			 Blackpool 30 140 0 170 
			 Bolton 40 300 * 340 
			 Bury 10 150 * 160 
			 Cheshire 70 590 50 720 
			 Cumbria 30 400 * 430 
			 Halton 10 60 * 60 
			 Knowsley * 90 10 100 
			 Lancashire 70 830 70 980 
			 Liverpool 30 150 10 190 
			 Manchester 80 420 30 530 
			 Oldham 20 210 * 230 
			 Rochdale 20 190 10 220 
			 Salford 20 150 20 190 
			 Sefton 10 30 10 40 
			 St. Helen's 20 100 * 120 
			 Stockport 10 310 30 350 
			 Tameside 30 260 30 310 
			 Trafford 10 130 10 150 
			 Warrington 10 180 20 210 
			 Wigan 20 300 50 370 
			 Wirral 20 260 30 300 
			  
			  Yorkshire and the Humber 550 5,160 160 5,870 
			 Barnsley 50 150 0 190 
			 Bradford 60 530 * 590 
			 Calderdale 30 180 0 210 
			 Doncaster 20 430 10 460 
			 East Riding of Yorkshire 40 460 * 510 
			 Kingston Upon Hull, City of 40 150 10 200 
			 Kirklees 60 380 60 490 
			 Leeds 40 770 30 830 
			 North East Lincolnshire 20 150 0 170 
			 North Lincolnshire 30 120 10 160 
			 North Yorkshire 40 340 10 380 
			 Rotherham 30 280 10 320 
			 Sheffield 50 630 10 690 
			 Wakefield 30 480 20 530 
			 York 30 120 * 150 
			  
			  East Midlands 430 3,080 100 3,610 
			 Derby 30 130 10 160 
			 Derbyshire 130 440 40 600 
			 Leicester 40 240 10 300 
			 Leicestershire 40 510 10 550 
			 Lincolnshire 50 220 10 280 
			 Northamptonshire 60 650 20 720 
			 Nottingham 30 200 * 240 
			 Nottinghamshire 60 690 * 750 
			 Rutland * 10 0 10 
			  
			  West Midlands 540 3,780 240 4,570 
			 Birmingham 210 970 60 1,240 
			 Coventry 20 210 20 250 
			 Dudley 20 300 * 320 
			 Herefordshire 10 160 * 170 
			 Sandwell 30 190 * 230 
			 Shropshire 10 190 10 200 
			 Solihull 20 180 20 210 
			 Staffordshire 40 450 20 500 
			 Stoke-on-Trent 20 140 20 170 
			 Telford and Wrekin 40 180 10 230 
			 Walsall 30 170 10 210 
			 Warwickshire 50 320 10 390 
			 Wolverhampton 10 120 50 170 
			 Worcestershire 30 220 20 270 
			  
			  East of England 500 4,180 160 4,850 
			 Bedfordshire 20 260 10 300 
			 Cambridgeshire 40 240 * 270 
			 Essex 170 1,330 40 1,540 
			 Hertfordshire 80 790 70 950 
			 Luton 20 70 0 90 
			 Norfolk 80 460 10 550 
			 Peterborough * 110 0 120 
			 Southend-on-Sea 10 110 20 140 
			 Suffolk 50 640 * 700 
			 Thurrock 20 180 * 200 
			  
			  London 650 3,990 350 4,980 
			  Inner London 290 1,310 110 1,700 
			 Camden 30 100 10 130 
			 City of London 0 0 0 0 
			 Hackney 20 80 * 100 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 30 50 * 70 
			 Haringey 20 160 0 170 
			 Islington 20 50 * 70 
			 Kensington and Chelsea * 30 * 30 
			 Lambeth 30 170 30 230 
			 Lewisham 20 100 * 120 
			 Newham 30 190 20 240 
			 Southwark 60 110 10 180 
			 Tower Hamlets 10 70 * 80 
			 Wandsworth 20 110 30 160 
			 Westminster 10 120 0 120 
			  
			  Outer London 360 2,680 240 3,280 
			 Barking and Dagenham 20 70 0 100 
			 Barnet 10 200 * 210 
			 Bexley * 120 20 140 
			 Brent 30 140 10 180 
			 Bromley 20 70 30 120 
			 Croydon 20 90 40 150 
			 Ealing 10 160 0 170 
			 Enfield 20 190 10 220 
			 Greenwich 80 260 40 370 
			 Harrow 30 110 0 140 
			 Havering 10 150 0 160 
			 Hillingdon 20 230 * 260 
			 Hounslow 10 130 10 140 
			 Kingston upon Thames 20 40 0 60 
			 Merton 10 150 20 180 
			 Redbridge 20 150 30 190 
			 Richmond upon Thames * 50 * 50 
			 Sutton 20 110 30 150 
			 Waltham Forest 20 290 10 320 
			  
			  South East 920 7,450 330 8,690 
			 Bracknell Forest * 80 0 80 
			 Brighton and Hove 50 270 10 340 
			 Buckinghamshire 30 270 50 350 
			 East Sussex 130 560 40 720 
			 Hampshire 120 1,180 50 1,350 
			 Isle of Wight * 140 0 140 
			 Kent 130 1,390 30 1,550 
			 Medway 60 430 0 490 
			 Milton Keynes 20 160 10 180 
			 Oxfordshire 50 450 * 500 
			 Portsmouth 60 190 20 270 
			 Reading 20 40 10 70 
			 Slough 10 30 * 50 
			 Southampton 60 410 20 490 
			 Surrey 70 920 50 1,050 
			 West Berkshire 10 120 0 130 
			 West Sussex 70 650 20 750 
			 Windsor and Maidenhead 10 70 * 80 
			 Wokingham 10 100 10 120 
			  
			  South West 530 3,980 300 4,820 
			 Bath and North East Somerset 10 160 30 200 
			 Bournemouth 30 80 * 100 
			 Bristol, City of 130 330 60 510 
			 Cornwall 40 220 * 260 
			 Devon 60 740 20 820 
			 Dorset 20 230 * 250 
			 Gloucestershire 30 500 40 570 
			 Isles of Scilly 0 0 0 0 
			 North Somerset 10 70 * 90 
			 Plymouth 10 120 40 170 
			 Poole 40 190 10 240 
			 Somerset 50 500 40 590 
			 South Gloucestershire 40 220 10 260 
			 Swindon 20 170 40 220 
			 Torbay 20 120 * 140 
			 Wiltshire 40 350 10 400 
			 * = less than 5. (1) Includes middle schools as deemed.  (2) Includes CTCs, academies and non-maintained special schools.   Note: Figures have been rounded to the nearest 10.   Source:  Schools Census.

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Departmental Energy

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much was spent on energy efficiency measures for his Department's and its predecessor's estate in each year from 2004 to 2009; what assessment has been made of the effectiveness of that expenditure; and what plans he has for future energy efficiency measures.

Shahid Malik: The Department for Communities and Local Government spent the following on energy efficiency measures between 2007 and 2009:
	
		
			   Investment (£) 
			 2007-08 75,000 
			 2008-09 95,000 
		
	
	Investment records prior to 2007 are not readily available.
	Between April 2007 and March 2009, the Department reduced gas and electricity consumption by 41 per cent. and 27 per cent. in its main building, compared to 2006-07.
	Prior to implementation, all energy efficiency projects are subject to a rigorous assessment of predicted carbon reduction and financial benefits, as well as consideration of alternative solutions. Post-implementation efficacy is based upon analysis of smart meter utility data. These data are fed into the Department's Energy Efficiency Action Plan to ensure an effective and structured approach to continued carbon reduction.
	To date, the majority of the efficiency measures taken across the departmental estate have been relatively low or no cost. As many of these opportunities have now been realised future measures will increasingly focus on capital investment projects, such as upgrading heating, cooling and ventilation systems.

Departmental Information Officers

Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the cost to his Department of press office staff other than press officers has been in each year since 1997.

Shahid Malik: All press office staff are press officers with the exception of speech writers. In the period since the Department was created in May 2006, there has been one speechwriter post at pay band 7 (grade 6) and one speechwriter post at pay band 6 (grade 7) in press office. The 2008-09 pay ranges are £43,836 to £57,110 for pay band 7 and £54,018 to £70,375 for pay band 6. Press office staff in the predecessor Department, the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, were press officers.

Departmental Older Workers

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many staff in his Department will reach the age of 65 by the year 2011.

Shahid Malik: holding answer 1 July 2009
	17 members of staff, in post on 30 June 2009, are due to reach their 65th birthday by the beginning of 2011. A further 14 reach this birthday during 2011. However, it is likely that at least some of these staff will no longer be working for the Department by then.

Departmental Public Expenditure

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what funding has been allocated to his core Department in real terms in  (a) 2009-10 and  (b) each of the next three years.

Shahid Malik: CSR07 allocated budgets for the period to 2010-11. The net administration budget for the core Department for 2009-10 and 2010-11 is £167 million and £165 million respectively. Budgets beyond 2011-12 have yet to be agreed with the Treasury.

Departmental Publications

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 1 June 2009,  Official Report, column 203W, on official hospitality, in what format the intranet staff handbook is held.

Shahid Malik: The terms and conditions of employment that form our staff handbook are stored on the Department's intranet site as individual web pages.

Environment Protection: Greater London

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what funding  (a) the Government Office for London and  (b) his Department has given to (i) Capital Standards and (ii) the London Environment Directors' Network in each of the last three years; and for what purposes.

Shahid Malik: There is no record of any payment to these groups, by either the central Department or the Government Office for London, on the Department's accounting system.

Fire Service College: Recruitment

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much funding his Department and its agencies have allocated for the advertisement of non-executive director posts at the Fire Service College.

Shahid Malik: The Department has spent £9,895 plus VAT in respect of advertising costs associated with the current recruitment of a non-executive chair and a non-executive board member for the Fire Service College.

Fire Services: Greater London

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 10 March 2009,  Official Report, column 318W, on fire services, whether staff in the London Fire Control Room will be eligible for the Fire Brigade's Long Service and Good Conduct Medal.

Shahid Malik: Staff in the London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority's new regional control centre will be eligible for the Fire Brigade's Long Service and Good Conduct Medal.

Fires: Waste

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what information his Department holds on the  (a) number and  (b) location of refuse fires reported as having been deliberately set in the last 12 months.

Shahid Malik: The number of refuse fires believed to be deliberately set is not yet held centrally and so could be provided only at a disproportionate cost.
	Data on refuse fires are calculated from aggregate monthly returns. These are limited to total number of refuse and refuse container fires attended by each Fire and Rescue Service. These data are shown in the table.
	The recently implemented electronic Incident Recording System (IRS) records both the number and location of all incidents attended by Fire and Rescue Services. The number and location of refuse fires reported as having been deliberately set will therefore be available, with the first data being for 2009-10.
	
		
			  Total refuse and refuse container fires, England, 2003-07( 1) 
			  FRS area  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007( 1) 
			 England 152,461 119,430 114,307 109,577 108,335 
			 Avon 3,583 2,587 2,136 1,613 1,489 
			 Bedfordshire 1,332 1,074 980 863 911 
			 Berkshire 1,323 986 869 796 831 
			 Buckinghamshire 1,821 1,385 1,349 1,307 1,181 
			 Cambridgeshire 1,233 1,065 1,056 1,134 941 
			 Cheshire 3,865 3,366 3,494 3,160 2,881 
			 Cleveland 4,776 3,569 3,787 4,001 3,853 
			 Cornwall 414 386 375 412 320 
			 Cumbria 1,519 1,234 1,441 1,400 1,305 
			 Derbyshire 1,586 1,297 1,161 1,351 1,230 
			 Devon 1,794 1,617 1,419 1,597 1,459 
			 Dorset 674 585 569 540 525 
			 Durham 2,674 2,185 2,332 2,325 2,419 
			 East Sussex 1,312 1,175 966 905 862 
			 Gloucestershire 1,022 781 777 661 618 
			 Greater London 18,883 14,275 14,007 12,055 12,478 
			 Greater Manchester 14,237 10,847 11,058 10,543 10,451 
			 Hampshire 3,405 3,025 2,646 2,728 2,512 
			 Hereford and Worcester 1,024 721 667 721 621 
			 Hertfordshire 1,981 1,427 1,469 1,311 1,197 
			 Humberside 5,460 4,217 3,824 3,515 3,459 
			 Isle of Wight 120 142 130 131 130 
			 Isles of Scilly 6 1 0 5 0 
			 Kent 3,836 3,199 2,978 2,481 2,326 
			 Lancashire 6,349 4,574 4,324 4,260 4,362 
			 Leicestershire 1,772 1,550 1,392 1,455 1,429 
			 Lincolnshire 874 726 662 836 965 
			 Merseyside 12,913 8,854 7,310 7,086 6,493 
			 Norfolk 1,045 941 914 1,032 861 
			 North Yorkshire 1,255 973 985 1,026 940 
			 Northamptonshire 2,056 1,651 1,634 1,361 1,409 
			 Northumberland 1,199 901 856 888 949 
			 Nottinghamshire 2,746 2,111 2,128 2,080 1,983 
			 Oxfordshire 678 602 575 483 553 
			 Shropshire 1,037 827 854 787 784 
			 Somerset 729 556 490 507 541 
			 South Yorkshire 5,850 4,670 4,965 4,958 5,563 
			 Staffordshire 2,704 2,335 2,355 2,272 2,327 
			 Suffolk 844 787 689 782 713 
			 Surrey 1,185 951 945 940 916 
			 Tyne and Wear 7,869 6,104 5,488 6,035 6,050 
			 Warwickshire 1,088 936 831 887 816 
			 West Midlands 9,514 7,733 7,570 7,067 7,029 
			 West Sussex 1,212 972 838 727 728 
			 West Yorkshire 10,949 9,030 8,455 8,000 8,407 
			 Wiltshire 713 500 557 553 518 
			 (1 )Data for 2007 are provisional and subject to change  Source: CLG

Housing Revenue Accounts

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what provision for redistribution mechanisms has been made in changes to the Housing Revenue Account system proposed by his Department.

Ian Austin: On Tuesday, my right hon. Friend the Minister for Housing announced in the House that he intended to publish a consultation document before summer recess on reform of council housing finance. The document will set out proposals for a devolved system of responsibility and funding which removes the need to redistribute revenue nationally, in exchange for a one-off redistribution of housing debt.

Housing: Low Incomes

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 23 June 2009,  Official Report, column 833W, on housing: construction, how many and what proportion of bidders for funding from the Kickstart Housing Delivery programme have applied for support via  (a) Affordable Housing Grant,  (b) Investment Support and  (c) Homebuy Direct; and if he will make a statement.

John Healey: This data will be published on the HCA website at the end of July:
	http://www.homesandcommunities.co.uk/

Housing: Low Incomes

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many homes were purchased under  (a) OwnHome,  (b) MyChoice HomeBuy and  (c) Open Market HomeBuy in each of the last three years; and how many have been purchased under each such scheme during 2009-10.

John Healey: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my right Friend the Member for Derby, South (Margaret Beckett) on 8 May 2009,  Official Report, column 448W, and the answer I gave him on 19 June 2009,  Official Report, column 508W.

Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government for what reasons the Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre has been retained in public ownership.

Shahid Malik: The assets management and sales strand of HM Treasury's Operational Efficiency Programme (OEP) was established to ensure more efficient and commercial operation of assets held in the public sector. The Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre (QEIICC) was one of nine government assets listed for further work in the pre-Budget report 2008 last November. The OEP final report published on 21 April stated:
	"Following the statement in the 2008 Pre-Budget Report, further work on the QEIICC has been undertaken. Although, in theory, the QEIICC could be disposed of now, this would be potentially at a significant discount to its underlying value. A more measured approach is required. The conclusions are, therefore, as a first step, to undertake a site development study within three to six months advised by a firm of property professionals. It will explore the opportunity of redeveloping the existing site, in a way that is sympathetic to planning considerations and current business operations. This could entail retaining the existing conference business for the foreseeable future. Marketing and disposal could take place at various stages depending on market evolution and prevailing risk and reward considerations, but at the latest by mid 2012."

Third Sector

Nick Hurd: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what terms and conditions are set by his Department in relation to the provision of funding from his Department's budget to  (a) charities,  (b) voluntary organisations and  (c) social enterprises.

Shahid Malik: The Department provides funding to organisations in a number of different ways, for example as a contract for services, or as a grant for an agreed activity. The terms and conditions that are set will vary depending on the nature and purpose of the funding and the type of contract or agreement between the department and the recipient. There are some that will be common to all agreements, such as that the money should be used for the purposes intended, that it is possible to demonstrate this, and that its use complies with any existing statutory or Treasury regulations, such as Managing Public Money.
	In providing funding to Third Sector Organisations such as charities, voluntary organisations, and social enterprises the department seeks to apply, where possible, the principles set out in the Compact. Further details of these principles can be found in the Funding and Procurement Code of Good Practice:
	www.thecompact.org.uk

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Digital Switchover

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what estimate he has made of the number of jobs to be created through digital radio switchover.

Ben Bradshaw: No estimate has yet been made of the number of jobs which might be created through digital radio upgrade. The recently published Digital Britain report sets out our vision for the future of radio, and will help to create the right environment to sustain a strong radio industry.

Israel

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will hold discussions with his Israeli counterpart to seek to improve collaboration between the UK and Israel in  (a) theatre,  (b) the music industry and  (c) sport.

Ben Bradshaw: I have no plans to hold such discussions. However, organisations in the UK and Israel regularly form relations within sectors.

National Lottery: South Yorkshire

Jeff Ennis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what proportion of Lottery funding has been allocated to organisations in  (a) Barnsley and  (b) Doncaster in each of the last five years.

Si�n Simon: The following table shows the value of lottery grants awarded to organisations in Barnsley and Doncaster in the last five years, together with the total value of lottery grants awarded in those same years.
	
		
			
			  2004-05  
			 Total lottery money awarded 1,452,256,812 
			 Total lottery money to Barnsley 2,520,805 
			 Total lottery money to Doncaster 5,898,769 
			   
			  2005-06  
			 Total lottery money awarded 1,249,237,162 
			 Total lottery money to Barnsley 2,981,272 
			 Total lottery money to Doncaster 2,668,872 
			   
			  2006-07  
			 Total lottery money awarded 969,785,678 
			 Total lottery money to Barnsley 1,550,769 
			 Total lottery money to Doncaster 3,273,624 
			   
			  2007-08  
			 Total lottery money awarded 1,550,673,214 
			 Total lottery money to Barnsley 5,303,141 
			 Total lottery money to Doncaster 1,351,850 
			   
			  2008-09  
			 Total lottery money awarded 920,814,373 
			 Total lottery money to Barnsley 2,009,366 
			 Total Lottery money to Doncaster 1,764,034 
		
	
	These statistics have been prepared using the Department's lottery grants database. The database is searchable at:
	www.lottery.culture.gov.uk
	and uses information on lottery grants supplied by the lottery distributors.

DEFENCE

Armed Forces: Fuels

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department has spent on each type of fuel in each zone in which British troops are engaged in military action in each of the last three years.

Quentin Davies: Fuel costs, broken down by type and operational theatre from 2006-07 onwards are provided in the following table:
	
		
			   million 
			   Fuels (non utilities)  Aviation  f uel 
			   2006-07  2007-08  2008-09( 1)  2006-07  2007-08  2008-09( 1) 
			 Operation Oculus (Balkans) 3 1 2 1 1 1 
			 Operation Telic (Iraq) 48 38 38 16 28 32 
			 Operation Herrick (Afghanistan) 6 25 41 10 45 109 
			 (1) Figures for the financial year 2008-09 are provisional, pending final outturn which will be reflected in the Departmental report and accounts due for publication in July. 
		
	
	The figures in the table comprise petroleum-based liquid fuels meeting internationally recognised specifications that are used to power ships and vehicles, plus aviation fuels only. These figures can only be viewed as approximate since other fuels (such as natural gas and heating oil) are accounted for within a broader stock category, and some small local purchases may not be captured within these amounts. Costs relating to overall fuel price variance are recorded separately in terms of total departmental expenditure.

Armed Forces: Health Services

Willie Rennie: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on what date the Royal Centre for Defence Medicine is expected to start delivering services in Birmingham.

Kevan Jones: The Royal Centre for Defence Medicine (RCDM) was established at Selly Oak Hospital, Birmingham, in April 2001 and has been the principal reception point for military casualties evacuated to the UK since then. A military managed ward was established at Selly Oak in late 2006 and achieved full operating capability in July 2007. The military ward concept, with additional facilities, will be carried over to the new Queen Elizabeth Hospital being built in Edgbaston. We expect that the new ward will start receiving patients in June 2010 and that other elements of the RCDM will be operational in the new hospital by 2011.

Armed Forces: Health Services

Willie Rennie: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when the new  (a) staff and patient accommodation block,  (b) prosthetic limb workshop and  (c) neurological laboratory at the Defence Medical Rehabilitation Centre Headley Court is to be (i) completed and (ii) open for use.

Kevan Jones: A new 58-bed staff and patient accommodation block (Wood House), enhancing existing accommodation facilities, was completed in December 2008 and opened for use in January 2009. A programme of refurbishment continues for the remainder of the living accommodation.
	There has been a prosthetic limb workshop in use at Headley Court since June 2006; planning for a replacement facility is under consideration.
	The new Centre for Mental and Cognitive Health was completed in April and opened for use in May 2009.

Armed Forces: Health Services

Willie Rennie: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what  (a) financial and  (b) other arrangements his Department has put in place to support families visiting patients at (i) the Royal Centre for Defence Medicine's clinical facilities at Selly Oak and (ii) other defence medical facilities in the Midlands.

Kevan Jones: We recognise that welfare support for both our Service personnel and their families is one of our key responsibilities and one that is taken very seriously by the MOD. To this end, when Service personnel are hospitalised, depending upon the severity of their condition, their families are provided with travel and accommodation at public expense to allow them to be with their loved one at such a difficult time. Each family is also allocated a Visiting Officer whose main role is to liaise between the family and the military to ensure they receive the most appropriate support from the many specialist welfare providers such as Defence Medical Welfare Service and the single-Service specialist welfare services.

Armed Forces: Housing

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many armed forces personnel have received a Certificate of Cessation of Entitlement to Occupy Service Living Accommodation  (a) five months,  (b) four months,  (c) three months,  (d) two months and  (e) less than one month before discharge in each of the last 24 months; and if he will make a statement.

Quentin Davies: A Certificate of Cessation of Entitlement to Occupy Service Accommodation is provided in order to assist personnel and their families in seeking social housing, and is issued on request.
	Information relating to the certificates is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Armed Forces: Pensions

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much was spent on  (a) the Gurkha Pension Scheme,  (b) the Armed Forces Pension Scheme 2005 and  (c) the Armed Forces Pension Scheme 1975 in the last year for which information is available; and if he will make a statement.

Kevan Jones: For financial year 2008-09 the amount of pensions paid to members and dependants was as follows:
	 Gurkha pension scheme
	The pensions paid are not allocated to a separate cost code and a fully accurate amount is not therefore available. However for financial year 2008-09 it was estimated to amount to some 48 million, subject to exchange rate fluctuations.
	 Armed forces pension scheme
	2005: 26 million.
	1975: 2.7 billion.

Armed Forces: Swine Flu

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many members of the armed services have been diagnosed with swine flu.

Kevan Jones: I will answer shortly.

Combat Stress

Willie Rennie: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department has provided to each Combat Stress centre for providing treatment to war pensioners in each of the last 10 years; and how many pensioners have been treated at each such centre. [Official Report, 26 October 2009, Vol. 498, c. 1MC.]

Kevan Jones: Funds are provided through the War Pensions Scheme's discretionary power to meet the cost of any necessary expenses in respect of medical, surgical or rehabilitative treatment of ex-members of the armed forces that arise from a disablement due to service before 6 April 2005 where it is not provided for under other UK legislation. This includes the individual costs of war pensioners undergoing remedial treatment at homes run by Combat Stress for conditions related to their individual pensioned disablement and of related expenses such as travel costs. Combat Stress receives separate funding from the Scottish Executive for war pensioners' resident in Scotland who receive treatment at Hollybush House.
	The following table shows the funding received by Combat Stress to defray individual treatment expenses under the War Pensions Scheme for the past eight years.
	
		
			   Funding ( million) 
			 2001-02 1.2 
			 2002-03 1.5 
			 2003-04 1.6 
			 2004-05 2.0 
			 2005-06 2.3 
			 2006-07 2.5 
			 2007-08 3.2 
			 2008-09 3.5 
		
	
	Funding figures for the previous two years and a complete breakdown of the number of war pensioners treated at each centre could be provided only at disproportionate cost. However, in order to give some indication of the numbers of war pensioners receiving treatment, we can state that in financial year 2007-08 some 1,200 individuals, funded through the auspices of the War Pensions Scheme, were treated at the three Combat Stress sites.

Defence: Training

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether his Department has approved a review note authorising funding for the Defence Training Review Package 1 planning process.

Bill Rammell: Review notes and the consequent contingent liabilities which include underwriting the costs of the planning process have been approved. These were included within departmental minutes in relation to the Defence Training Review Package 1 Project which were lodged in the Library of the House on 29 January 2008, 17 February 2009 and 26 June 2009 respectively. In the case of the latter, approval of the underwrite is dependant on the successful outcome of contract negotiations.

Departmental Buildings

Edward Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which military  (a) bases and  (b) other sites owned by his Department containing accommodation areas are (i) redundant and (ii) shortly to become redundant for his Department's purposes.

Kevan Jones: The information requested will take a little time to gather and verify. I will write to the hon. Member with the information that is available as soon as possible.
	 Substantive answer from Kevan Jones to Edward Garnier:
	In my answer of 3 June 2009 (Official Report, column 551W) I undertook to write to you with details of which military bases and other sites owned by the Department containing accommodation, are redundant or shortly to become redundant for the Departments purposes.
	The Department routinely places in the Library of the House a list of its sites being disposed of or coming up for disposal. An updated list will shortly be placed in the Library of the House.

Departmental Data Protection

James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many notifications his Department made to the Information Commissioner in the year ended 30 April 2009 in respect of the loss or mishandling of personal information or data; what was notified in each such case; and how many individuals were the subjects of personal information or data in respect of which such notifications were made.

John Hutton: Under the mandatory requirements of the Data Handling Report published on 25 June 2008, the Ministry of Defence is required to give a summary report on data breaches reported to the Information Commissioner in our annual resource accounts.
	We will be publishing information on personal data security breaches reported to the Information Commissioner for the 2008-09 reporting year before Parliament rises in July. The information is currently being compiled and is to be audited and verified before it is laid before Parliament. The equivalent information from the 2007-08 annual resource account can be found at:
	http://www.mod.uk/DefenceInternet/AboutDefence/CorporatePublications/AnnualReports/MODAnnualReports0708/

Departmental Information and Communications Technology

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the original target date for the completion of the first increment of the Defence Information Infrastructure programme was; when the original target date was changed; and on what date the first increment was completed.

Quentin Davies: When the contract for the DII programme was approved in March 2005, the target date for completion of Increment 1 was end July 2007. The target date was revised in December 2006, when the contract was amended to include Increment 2, and again in October 2008. The delivery target of 62,800 terminals was completed in mid February 2009 within weeks of the planned milestone set for the end of the first increment.

Departmental Information and Communications Technology

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much the Defence Information Infrastructure programme was estimated to cost at the latest date for which figures are available; and what the original estimated cost of the programme was.

Quentin Davies: The original estimate for the DII programme was 5,854 million. This estimate did not include the Deployed and Top Secret requirements as their capability and scope was not fully mature at that time. The current estimated cost of realising DII, including the cost of related programmes, is 7.1 billion. This remains unchanged from the figure reported by the National Audit Office in July 2008.

European Fighter Aircraft

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent estimate he has made of the  (a) total and  (b) unit cost of the new Tranche 3 Eurofighter.

Quentin Davies: This matter is currently the subject of negotiations with our partner nations and industry.

Frigates

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when each Royal Navy frigate in service is due to be taken out of service.

Quentin Davies: Our present planning assumptions are set out in the table:
	
		
			   Out-of-service date 
			  Type 22  
			 HMS Cornwall 2019 
			 HMS Campbeltown 2020 
			 HMS Cumberland 2021 
			 HMS Chatham 2022 
			   
			  Type 23  
			 HMS Argyll 2023 
			 HMS Lancaster 2024 
			 HMS Iron Duke 2025 
			 HMS Monmouth 2026 
			 HMS Montrose 2027 
			 HMS Westminster 2028 
			 HMS Northumberland 2029 
			 HMS Richmond 2030 
			 HMS Somerset 2031 
			 HMS Sutherland 2033 
			 HMS Kent 2034 
			 HMS Portland 2035 
			 HMS St. Albans 2036

Gurkhas

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Gurkha soldiers have died while serving with the UK armed forces since 1979; and if he will make a statement.

Quentin Davies: Records indicate that as at 27 June 2009, 82 Gurkhas have died in service since 1979. This includes deaths that occurred both while on and off duty.

Gurkhas: Pensions

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Gurkha soldiers who served with the UK armed forces before 1997 receive no pension from his Department; and if he will make a statement.

Quentin Davies: There are around 5,000 veterans and veterans' widows who do not qualify for a Service Pension but who receive a Welfare Pension from the Gurkha Welfare Scheme, which is the field arm of the independent charity, the Gurkha Welfare Trust. The Welfare Pension is paid from donations made to the Gurkha Welfare Trust which allows them a sustainable lifestyle. The Ministry of Defence grants the Gurkha Welfare Trust more than 1 million per year, which covers most of its administrative costs in Nepal.
	There are around 7,000 veterans who did not serve for long enough to qualify for a Service Pension and who are not yet old enough or needy enough to qualify for a Welfare Pension. On leaving the Brigade of Gurkhas, they would have received a gratuity but no pension. If these veterans fall on hard times they too become eligible for a Welfare Pension.
	All veterans receive free primary health care and those without Gurkha Pension Scheme or AFPS payments receive free secondary health care, all through the Gurkha Welfare Scheme.

Military Aircraft

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many aircraft of each type are available for use on  (a) operations and  (b) training within the armed forces.

Quentin Davies: All in service frontline military aircraft are deemed to be available for operations at various states of readiness, ranging from those that are available immediately to those that may require a period of notice to deploy.
	For the total number of frontline in service military aircraft, I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 3 June 2009,  Official Report, column 4MC, to the hon. Member for Woodspring (Dr. Fox). For the number of aircraft available for training, I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 29 June 2009,  Official Report, column 46W, to the hon. Member for Woodspring.

Royal Regiment of Scotland

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of measures to preserve the identities of the battalions which make up the Royal Regiment of Scotland since the merger of the Scottish regiments;
	(2)  what assessment his Department has made of the merits of proposals to introduce a single colour of hackle for all Territorial Army soldiers in the Royal Regiment of Scotland.

Bill Rammell: Since the formation of the large, single-cap badge The Royal Regiment of Scotland, the separate identities of its antecedent regiments have been preserved in a number of ways, not least by including them prominently in the battalion titles, for example; The Royal Highland Fusiliers, 2nd Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland, and The Black Watch, 3rd Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland. Preservation is further illustrated by the retention of golden threads in uniforms and accoutrements such as the Black Watch red hackle and the Highlanders' blue hackle.
	The identities of the regiment's battalions are very clear and easily understood by its officers and soldiers and the wider community in Scotland. The regiment places great importance in its heritage and uses its history to inspire and nurture its new recruits and current members; the regimental history taught to its soldiers is captured in a handbook which is given to all new recruits. The Army ensures that regimental traditions, heritage, cultures and local connections continue through the excellent relations between its retired soldiers, the serving community, and the outstanding support from the local communities associated with their antecedent regiments.
	There are no plans to introduce a single colour of hackle for all Territorial Army (TA) soldiers in The Royal Regiment of Scotland as this would run contrary to the traditions of infantry regiments in Scotland.
	However, 52nd Lowland, 6th Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland (6 SCOTS) currently wear either a black or white hackle while 51st Highland, 7th Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland (7 SCOTS) wear a variety of colourseach colour representing one of the former Scottish infantry regiments.
	This variety of head dress (within a regiment, battalion, and in some cases a company) is as a result of the reorganisation of the infantry structure. It is very unusual in the British Army and contrary to normal regimental integrity.
	Therefore, the regimental headquarters of The Royal Regiment of Scotland is currently considering proposals from each of the two TA battalions to have their own unique and distinctive hackle to establish their own identities, which will then be consistent with the other five Regular Army battalions in The Royal Regiment of Scotland, each of whom wear their own single coloured hackle.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Agriculture

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps are being taken to encourage young people to  (a) remain in farming and  (b) take up farming as a career.

Jim Fitzpatrick: Fresh Start, an industry-led initiative supported by Government, helps train new entrants to the farming industry. There are 24 Fresh Start Academies, with more in the pipeline, focusing on developing business skills for new farmers.
	DEFRA provides funding to support the activities of the National Federation of Young Farmers Clubs which work with young people, aged 10-26, with an interest in rural issues. The clubs offer young people a range of activities and experiences with a rural flavour, including training in agricultural and countryside skills and competitive activities. DEFRA provides funding to support those activities which meet DEFRA priorities.
	Government supported the Year of Food and Farming in 2007-08 and are supporting the legacy campaign, Think Food and Farming. These schemes have helped children and young people learn about growing food, what happens on a farm, what life is like in the countryside and what the countryside can offer in terms of employment. Through agri-environmental schemes farmers receive approximately 1 million per year to provide educational visits to their farms from schools and other interest groups.
	The Department for Children, Schools and Families is developing a new Diploma offering a mix of classroom and hands on experience at different levels in Environmental and Land-based Studies for 14 to 19-year-olds. It will be available in some schools and colleges in England from September 2009, and across the whole country by 2013. It focuses on the environmental and land-based sector and includes subjects such as:
	working with plants and animals
	environmental sciences
	the way land is used for the production of food and for recreation
	he effect humans have on the world around and how to limit the damage we do.

Agriculture: Essex

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much funding his Department allocated to the development of agricultural businesses in  (a) Essex and  (b) Castle Point in each of the last five years.

Jim Fitzpatrick: Funding allocated by DEFRA for the development of agricultural businesses is not generally recorded at constituency or county level. The following table provides figures covering allocations made to farmers in Essex in each of the last five years under the agri-environment schemes, which form part of the wider Rural Development Programme that provides support to the agricultural sector. These schemes are delivered by Natural England.
	
		
			   Total ( million) 
			 2004-05 29,090,000 
			 2005-06 33,100,000 
			 2006-07 42,610,000 
			 2007-08 51,090,000 
			 2008-09 56,430,000 
			 Grand total 212,320,000

Bluetongue Disease: Vaccination

Patrick McLoughlin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent assessment he has made of progress in the BTV8 vaccination programme; what recent assessment he has made of the effects on veterinary practices of undertaking the programme; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The BTV8 vaccination programme played a vital role in keeping the UK free from circulating BTV8 disease last year, with vaccination levels in the region of 60 per cent. across England.
	Vaccination remains voluntary in 2009. BTV8 vaccine is readily available both from the remaining Government underwritten supply and from the three manufacturers who are supplying vaccine direct to the market.
	If adequate vaccination levels are not reached this year, and BTV8 is reintroduced, the disease may spread to unvaccinated animals. Evidence suggests that the disease is still present and circulating in some neighbouring EU member states. Farmers and livestock keepers should not become complacent and should vaccinate their animals for BTV8 as soon as possible.
	Veterinary practices have played and continue to play a crucial role in making vaccine available to livestock keepers and advising on best practice usage to livestock keepers to ensure that disease does not spread. In playing this crucial role veterinary practices have also had the opportunity to benefit from sales of the vaccine, and we have no evidence of widespread negative impacts on the industry.

Bovine Tuberculosis: Disease Control

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the  (a) longest,  (b) shortest and  (c) average amount of time was between the reporting of an initial test for bovine tuberculosis as inconclusive and re-testing in each of the last five years.

Jim Fitzpatrick: Animal health systems are not able to readily provide complete and accurate data in the format requested. However, the average number of days taken to retest inconclusive TB reactors for the last five years is as follows:
	
		
			  Inconclusive reactor re-tests,  2004-08 
			   Average days 
			 2004 76.0 
			 2005 76.0 
			 2006 89.0 
			 2007 85.0 
			 2008 70.0

Bovine Tuberculosis: Vaccination

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 24 June 2009,  Official Report, column 938W, on bovine tuberculosis: vaccination, if he will consult hon. Members for constituencies in the most affected areas on  (a) numbers of farmers signing up to participate in the pilots and  (b) mechanisms to be put in place for the administration of the vaccine.

Jim Fitzpatrick: We will shortly be writing to MPs with constituencies in the selected areas to inform them about the project, the 'catchment' areas where we will be signing up farmers to participate and the timetable. The letters will include a contact point so MPs can get in touch to find out more or if they would like to discuss further.

Dairy Farmers of Britain

Stephen Crabb: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions he has had with the receivers of the Dairy Farmers of Britain co-operative on payment of the May 2009 milk cheque to members supplying the co-operative.

Jim Fitzpatrick: On 17 June I attended a meeting of the Receivers (PWC), senior officials, Dairy Farmers of Britain Members Council, Dairy UK, farm unions, banks, and charity and benevolent organisations to continue coordinated efforts and work towards our common goal of minimising the impacts on all those affected.
	The failure to pay the May milk cheques to members supplying the co-operative is a matter for the Receiver.

Dairy Farmers of Britain

Stephen Crabb: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the receivers of the Dairy Farmers of Britain co-operative about the business prospects of former members of the co-operative.

Jim Fitzpatrick: On 17 June I attended a meeting of the Receivers (PwC) and other parties to continue coordinated efforts to minimise the impacts on farmers, hauliers and employees.
	All members affected are being made aware of all available schemes and assistance to help businesses and individuals through difficulties (such as Business Link and the HMRC Business Payment Support Services).

Dairy Farmers of Britain

Stephen Crabb: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent discussions he has had with representatives of the UK dairy industry on the collapse of the Dairy Farmers of Britain co-operative.

Jim Fitzpatrick: On 17 June I met with representatives of the dairy industry, farm unions and others to continue coordinated efforts and work towards our common goal of minimising the impacts on all those affected.

Dairy Farming

Lembit �pik: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what reports his Department received of the financial difficulties faced by the cooperative Dairy Farmers in Britain before it went into receivership.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The challenges faced by Dairy Farmers of Britain were widely reported in recent months. Ministers held discussions with Lord Granchester (chairman of DFB) on more than one occasion and officials kept Ministers informed of discussions with stakeholders on the issue. The details of these discussions were commercially confidential and sensitive.

Pollution: Tame Valley

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps his Department is taking to mitigate the risk of diffuse pollution from  (a) agriculture,  (b) transport and  (c) industry in the Tame Valley catchment area.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Environment Agency is mitigating the risk of diffuse pollution in the Tame Valley catchment by regulating pig and poultry installations under the Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations (EPR) 2007. The Environment Agency also undertakes targeted visits to nitrate vulnerable zones and responds to pollution incidents.
	The Environment Agency has advised on anti-pollution measures during the planning and development of major road constructions in the area and regulates the highest risk activities of industry through the EPR 2007. The Environment Agency also controls diffuse pollution through pollution prevention visits which are undertaken at un-permitted EPR sites.
	DEFRA is taking forward several proposals to mitigate diffuse pollution generally including a ban on phosphates in domestic laundry cleaning products. Such a ban would contribute to a reduction in phosphate pollution in watercourses, by dealing directly with this source of phosphate pollution.
	Through the draft Floods and Water Management Bill we are consulting on proposals to make it compulsory to consider sustainable drainage systems in new developments. Sustainable drainage systems will not only reduce flooding but also contribute to a reduction in diffuse pollution of the aquatic environment.
	In the draft Bill we are also developing proposals to improve the way wrong connections of foul sewage to surface water sewers are dealt with. Our proposals would make dealing with these wrong connections more efficient and so open up opportunities for other initiatives on wrong connections to reduce pollution of rivers and streams.
	The Nitrates Action Programme requires farmers in nitrate vulnerable zones to comply with requirements concerning the use and management of manures and fertilisers. There is an extensive advisory programme in support of this.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Columbia: Human Rights

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make it his policy to monitor the number of allegations of human rights abuses made against Colombian security force personnel seeking training in the UK.

Ivan Lewis: I refer the hon. Member to the answer my hon. Friend the then Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Gillian Merron gave on 11 March 2009,  Official Report, columns 415-16W.
	I would also refer the hon. Member to the written ministerial statement of 30 March 2009,  Official Report, column 40WS.

Democratic Republic of Congo: Armed Conflict

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of relations between the UN Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo; and if he will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: There is significant co-operation between the UN peacekeeping mission to the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUC) and the Congolese army (FARDC) at senior military as well as at operational level. However, there have been recent isolated instances where FARDC have demonstrated hostility towards MONUC. In response, MONUC have met with senior FARDC commanders to address the issue. The Congolese Government are taking measures to enhance the discipline and effectiveness of the FARDC, with the assistance of MONUC and the wider international community.

Democratic Republic of Congo: Armed Conflict

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of Operation Kimia II against the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda rebels in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo; and if he will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: The success of Operation Kimia II has been mixed so far. The Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) militia continues to carry out attacks against the civilian population and the Democratic Republic of Congo armed forces in north and south Kivu provinces. However, the military effort against the FDLR in north Kivu has maintained pressure on the group. We understand that in some areas the FDLR has been forced to withdraw from ground it had held.
	The operation extended into south Kivu only recently. It is too early to assess its impact there but we continue to urge the UN peacekeeping mission to the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Congolese armed forces to do all it can to protect civilians. While it remains our view that military pressure is necessary to weaken the FDLR, a lasting solution to the problems posed by the militia requires a political settlement.

Democratic Republic of Congo: Armed Conflict

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received of allegations of the use by the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda of Congolese civilians as human shields in Shabunda in South Kivu; and if he will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: We have received no specific information concerning the use by the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) militia of civilians as human shields in Shabunda. However, recent reports suggest that Shabunda territory is under the control of the FDLR, who continue to carry out acts of violence against civilians in South Kivu province. The Democratic Republic of Congo army has recently extended its operations against the FDLR into South Kivu, supported by UN peace-keepers. I commend their efforts to restrict the activity of this illegal militia.

Democratic Republic of Congo: Armed Conflict

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent reports he has received on attacks on the armed forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo by Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda rebels in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo; and if he will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: The Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) militia has carried out attacks on members of the armed forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) at various locations in North and South Kivu in recent weeks. These have resulted in casualties among the armed forces, FDLR and the civilian population. The Congolese army (FARDC)'s operation against the FDLR, supported by the UN peacekeeping mission to the DRC (MONUC), is continuing in North and South Kivu provinces. We continue to urge MONUC and the FARDC to do all they can to protect civilians.

Democratic Republic of Congo: Mining

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 12 March 2009,  Official Report, columns 621-22W, on the Democratic Republic of Congo: mining, what steps his Department has taken to promote good practice in  (a) the exportation of minerals from the Democratic Republic of Congo and  (b) the mining sector; and if he will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: We continue to work with other governments to identify ways to encourage companies involved in the trade of minerals from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to follow appropriate practices, and to promote the lawful trade of natural resources. Since the Answer of 12 March 2009 to which the hon. Member refers, we have agreed a series of recommendations, some of which stemmed from the research of British officials, with international partners.
	We are carrying out research to determine whether British companies involved in the trade of minerals from DRC are acting in a way which might be subject to UN sanctions. We are also supporting implementation of the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative in partnership with the World Bank, Germany, Belgium and the European Commission.

Democratic Republic of Congo: Peacekeeping Operations

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the  (a) military equipment and  (b) troops required for the UN Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo mandated by UN Security Council Resolution 1843; what steps he is taking to seek to meet such requirements; and if he will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: The UN peacekeeping mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUC) will be bolstered with the arrival of the additional infantry, engineers, and special forces mandated by UN Security Council Resolution 1843 in the next few months. Several member states have expressed interest in providing the 200 military trainers mandated, but at present the concept for their use is still being developed by the UN Secretariat. MONUC has not been able to acquire all of the air assets or intelligence equipment that it has requested. We continue to lobby the UN Secretariat and UN member states to contribute these assets to the mission.

Democratic Republic of Congo: Peacekeeping Operations

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the capacity of the UN Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo to protect civilians in  (a) North and  (b) South Kivu; and if he will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: In recent months, the UN peacekeeping mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUC) has enhanced its ability to protect civilians in the Kivus by reorganising its resources to a more mobile posture and through the creation of joint civilian and military protection teams. However, given the difficult terrain and mobility of rebel groups, MONUC is unlikely to be able to prevent all isolated attacks on civilians. But the additional troops that will arrive in coming months will further increase MONUC's capacity to implement its mandate.

Iran

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations he has made to the government of Iran on the protection of religious and ethnic minorities.

Ivan Lewis: We have serious concerns about the situation of religious and ethnic minorities in Iran.
	The Iranian authorities continue to prohibit the use of minority languages in schools, and ethnic groups such as Ahwazi Arabs, Azeris, Baluchis, Kurds and Turkmen face persecution and arbitrary arrest for campaigning for their basic rights. Many activists remain in detention on charges of endangering national security.
	Iran's religious minorities continue to suffer gross human rights violations, including extra-judicial killings, detention without charge, confiscation of property, and denial of education. Such events appear to be increasingly commonplace, and are cause for serious concern.
	Alongside our EU partners we have made clear to the Iranian authorities that the persecution of individuals on the grounds of religion, belief or ethnicity is unacceptable. We have expressed concern about the persecution of ethnic minorities and, in a declaration of 25 May 2009, called on the Iranian authorities to uphold their international legal undertakings to safeguard religious freedom and to stop their persecution of legitimate religious activities.

Kenya: Politics and Government

Stephen Crabb: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much  (a) funding and  (b) other assistance his Department has provided to support the National Accord in Kenya in the last 12 months.

Ivan Lewis: The UK continues to support the implementation of the agenda 4 items set out in the National Accord, including on constitutional, judicial, police and electoral reform and the issue of impunity.
	The UK is the leading donor to the Annan process, which supported the Kriegler and Waki Commissions, on which the reform process and the National Accord is based. We have provided 1.4 million in total support (200,000 in 2007-08 and 1.2 million in 2008-09). We have provided additional support to civil society organisations to assist communities to reconcile and engage in the peace process. In the past two financial years, civil society support amounted to 1.2 million.
	This financial year the UK has funded the provision of technical expertise to the police reform group, which was created following the recommendations of Justice Waki's Commission into the post-election violence.
	All support has been managed jointly by the Department for International Development (DFID) and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, through the Africa Conflict Prevention Programme (ACPP).
	We continue to urge Kenya's leaders to work together to ensure that the key reforms needed in Kenya are made. We will continue to offer our full support to Kofi Annan and his leadership role in the reform process.

Palestinians

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent reports he has received on the role of the government of Egypt in the distribution of humanitarian aid to Palestinians living in Gaza; and if he will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: It is vital that aid reaches the people in Gaza who need it. The UK has been consistent in its calls for better humanitarian Access to the area. My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has raised this issue on a number of occasions, most recently in his statement to the UN Security Council on 11 May 2009.
	My predecessor, the hon. Member for Harlow (Bill Rammell) raised the issue of access through the Rafah Crossing for humanitarian aid providers with the Egyptian Government when he was in Egypt on 21 May 2009. All aid to Gaza from Egypt is channelled though the Egyptian Red Crescent.

Sri Lanka: Elections

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent reports he has received of allegations that candidates for the Jaffna Municipal Council elections in Sri Lanka have been subjected to intimidation; and if he will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: We are aware of reports that some candidates in the upcoming mayoral elections in Jaffna have been the subject of intimidation by paramilitary groups. We have raised our concerns with the Sri Lankan Government about the prospects of violence and intimidation in the context of local elections in the north and regularly raise the need to disarm paramilitary groups and take decisive action to prevent their activities. The Government's consistent position has been that a political process, based on respect, inclusion and rule of law is essential to address the underlying causes of the recent conflict. Ensuring all elections are transparent, fair and free from intimidation is a crucial part of this process.

Sudan: Elections

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he has received any recent reports of the harassment of civil society organisations engaged in voter education and election monitoring programmes in Sudan.

Ivan Lewis: The Government have received reports of harassment of civil society organisations engaged in elections work in Sudan. One report we have received relates to a recent incident when the Sudanese Government's Humanitarian Aid Commission visited a non-governmental organisation in Khartoum and prevented it from organising a meeting on the elections.
	Such reports indicate a worrying approach towards freedom of expression in the run-up to the 2010 elections. Our ambassador is raising the issue of harassment of civil society organisations with the authorities in Sudan and calling on them to explain the steps they are taking to ensure freedom of expression.
	The UK is committed to supporting nation-wide elections in Sudan now scheduled for April 2010. We are providing significant assistance to the preparations for the elections and are monitoring developments closely to ensure mat the elections are free and fair.

Western Sahara: Human Rights

Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make it his policy to seek the inclusion of a human rights monitoring role for the United Nations MINURSO mission.

Ivan Lewis: The Government believe that greater openness and transparency on human rights by all the parties would create a significantly better environment for political dialogue between the parties. We do not believe including a human rights monitoring role in the UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) mandate at this time would build confidence between the parties or assist the UN-led negotiation efforts.
	We support the call by the UN Secretary-General, in his latest report, for the parties to remain engaged in a continuous and constructive dialogue with the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and to make progress on the human dimension of the conflict.

World Political Situation

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with his international counterparts on regional security in  (a) Asia,  (b) the Americas,  (c) Africa,  (d) Europe and  (e) the Middle East.

Ivan Lewis: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has regular discussions with his international counterparts on regional security issues, most recently during the G8 Foreign Ministers meeting in Trieste on 25-26 June 2009 and the informal meeting of Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe Foreign Ministers in Corfu on 27-28 June 2009.

HEALTH

Abortion

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of women who had an abortion in 2008 were married at the time of the abortion; what the modal  (a) age of the women,  (b) length of gestation of the pregnancy,  (c) number of previous children born to the women and  (d) number of previous abortions undergone by the women were; and what the most common legal grounds were under which such abortions were performed.

Gillian Merron: The information is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Most common( 1)  conditions for married women( 2)  having  abortions in 2008 
			   Total  Age  Gestation  Number of previous children  Number of previous abortions  Ground 
			 England 29,131 29 7 2 0 (3) 
			 (1) Statistical mode (highest frequency) (2) Includes women in a civil partnership (3) That the pregnancy has not exceeded its 24th week and that the continuance of the pregnancy would involve risk, greater than if the pregnancy were terminated, of injury to the physical or mental health of the pregnant woman

Abortion

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many women aged  (a) 18,  (b) 17,  (c) 16,  (d) 15,  (e) 14,  (f) 13 and  (g) 12 years old in each strategic health authority area who had had (i) one, (ii) two, (ii) three, (iv) four, (v) five, (vi) six, (vii) seven, (viii) eight, (ix) nine and (x) 10 or more previous abortions had an abortion in 2008.

Gillian Merron: The information is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Previous abortions by age under 19 and strategic health authority of residence, 2008 
			Age  
			  Strategic health Authority  Previous abortions  Under 18  18  Total under age 19 
			 East 0 1,431 891 2,322 
			  1+ 106 173 279 
			  Total 1,537 1,064 2,601 
			 East Midlands 0 1,342 697 2,039 
			  1+ 84 98 182 
			  Total 1,426 795 2,221 
			 London 0 2,756 1,601 4,357 
			  1+ 372 464 836 
			  Total 3,128 2,065 5,193 
			 North East 0 946 424 1,370 
			  1+ 56 55 111 
			  Total 1,002 479 1,481 
			 North West 0 2,674 1,385 4,059 
			  1 + 206 218 424 
			  Total 2,880 1,603 4,483 
			 South Central 0 1,052 547 1,599 
			  1 + 83 105 188 
			  Total 1,135 652 1,787 
			 South East 0 1,259 692 1,951 
			  1 + 105 124 229 
			  Total 1,364 816 2,180 
			 South West 0 1,509 756 2,265 
			  1 + 114 111 225 
			  Total 1,623 867 2,490 
			 Yorkshire and Humber 0 1,858 933 2,791 
			  1 + 127 144 271 
			  Total 1,985 1,077 3,062 
			 West Midlands 0 2,046 1,001 3,047 
			  1 + 213 241 454 
			  Total 2,259 1,242 3,501 
			 England 0 16,873 8,927 25,800 
			  1+ 1,466 1,733 3,199 
			  Total 18,339 10,660 28,999 
			  Note:  Ages and number of previous abortions are grouped where totals are less than 10 (between 0 and nine) or where a presented total would reveal a suppressed value from previously published data, in line with the Office for National Statistics' guidance on the disclosure of abortion statistics (2005).

Abortion

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many women aged  (a) 18 to 24 years and  (b) 25 to 30 years old in each strategic health authority area who had had (i) one, (ii) two, (ii) three, (iv) four, (v) five, (vi) six, (vii) seven, (viii) eight, (ix) nine and (x) 10 or more previous abortions had an abortion in 2008.

Gillian Merron: The information is shown in the following table. Data are published in age group 25-29. Data are presented in the same format to make the maximum data available.
	
		
			  Previous abortions by age under 30 and strategic health authority of residence, 2008 
			Age 
			  Strategic health authority  Previous abortions  18-24  25-29 
			 East 0 4,809 2,031 
			  1 1,489 984 
			  2 263 296 
			  3 or more 64 99 
			  Total 6,625 3,410 
			 
			 East Midlands 0 3,919 1,555 
			  1 1,038 694 
			  2 158 212 
			  3 or more 25 66 
			  Total 5,140 2,527 
			 
			 London 0 11,443 6,818 
			  1 4,795 3,817 
			  2 1,063 1,167 
			  3 or more 288 421 
			  Total 17,589 12,223 
			 
			 North East 0 2,505 919 
			  1 642 420 
			  2 103 104 
			  3 or more 30 41 
			  Total 3,280 1,484 
			 
			 North West 0 8,067 3,138 
			  1 2,399 1,526 
			  2 384 339 
			  3 or more 80 115 
			  Total 10,930 5,118 
			 
			 South Central 0 3,445 1,513 
			  1 1,033 752 
			  2 168 164 
			  3 or more 38 55 
			  Total 4,684 2,484 
			 
			 South East 0 3,790 1,420 
			  1 1,228 869 
			  2 210 236 
			  3 or more 46 80 
			  Total 5,274 2,605 
			 
			 South West 0 4,357 1,689 
			  1 1,113 784 
			  2 166 169 
			  3 or more 39 43 
			  Total 5,675 2,685 
			 
			 Yorkshire and Humber 0 5,553 2,064 
			  1 1,603 965 
			  2 236 228 
			  3 or more 79 68 
			  Total 7,471 3,325 
			 
			 West Midlands 0 6,071 2,413 
			  1 2,165 1,317 
			  2 376 342 
			  3 or more 85 124 
			  Total 8,697 4,196 
			 
			 England 0 53,959 23,560 
			  1 17,505 12,128 
			  2 3,127 3,257 
			  3 or more 774 1,112 
			  Total 75,365 40,057 
			  Note:  Number of previous abortions are grouped where totals are less than 10 (between 0 and 9) or where a presented total would reveal a suppressed value from previously published data, in line with the Office for National Statistics' guidance on the disclosure of abortion statistics (2005).

Drugs: Rehabilitation

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many  (a) people,  (b) under 18 year-olds,  (c) under 16 year-olds and  (d) under 12 year-olds were given drug rehabilitation treatment for each type of drug in each of the last five years.

Gillian Merron: The available information is set out in the following tables.
	Age group data were collected in the years before 2007-08 but this was not of sufficient quality to publish National Statistics.
	Data for the years before 2007-08 are only available for age groups under or over 18 years of age and exclude alcohol treatment.
	
		
			  Numbers presenting by age and primary substance of dependence 2007-08 
			   Under 12  12-13  13-14  14-15  15-16  16-17  17-18  Persons (18 and under) 
			 Heroin and other opiates 10 (1) 16 21 46 172 382 (1) 
			 Amphetamines (1) (1) 12 32 69 88 140 346 
			 Cocaine (1) (1) 7 60 164 226 344 806 
			 Crack (1) (1) 5 6 25 33 85 (1) 
			 Ecstasy (1) (1) 18 47 100 146 123 438 
			 Cannabis 102 230 745 1,884 3,114 3,035 2,911 12,021 
			 Solvents 22 23 49 75 71 32 33 305 
			 Alcohol 57 169 565 1,244 1,970 2,131 2,453 8,589 
			 Other (1) (1) 15 30 44 61 85 241 
			 Total (clients) 202 436 1,432 3,399 5,603 5,924 6,556 23,552 
			 Missing or inconsistent data 25 31 44 61 55 63 68 353 
			 Total including missing data 227 467 1,476 3,466 5,658 5,987 6,624 23,905 
			 (1) '' represents numbers less than five. A total number is replaced by '' if its inclusion would allow the number less than five to be calculated.  Source: National Treatment Agency for Substance Misuse (NTA) report 'Getting to grips with substance misuse among young people'. 
		
	
	
		
			  Primary drug of misuse by age at triage 2007-08 
			   Aged less than 18 years at triage  Aged 18 years or over at triage  All persons 
			   Number  Percentage  Number  Percentage  Number  Percentage  Median age at triage 
			 Heroin 773 5 122,749 66 123,522 61 31 
			 Methadone 15 0 10,097 5 10,112 5 34 
			 Other opiates 43 0 5,404 3 5,447 3 34 
			 Benzodiazepines 59 0 2,029 1 2,088 1 36 
			 Amphetamines 383 2 5,320 3 5,703 3 32 
			 Cocaine 861 5 11,752 6 12,613 6 27 
			 Crack 168 1 10,826 6 10,994 5 32 
			 Hallucinogens 58 0 344 0 402 0 24 
			 Ecstasy 490 3 569 0 1,059 1 18 
			 Cannabis 12,865 78 13,422 7 26,287 13 18 
			 Solvents 321 2 178 0 499 0 15 
			 Barbiturates 5 0 39 0 39 0 35 
			 Major tranquilisers 5 0 39 0 39 0 36 
			 Antidepressants 5 0 171 0 171 0 37 
			 Other drugs 65 0 1,631 1 1,696 0 41 
			 Poly use; no details 65 0 153 0 218 0 29 
			 Drug free at triage 273 2 745 0 1,018 1 28 
			 Total (clients) (1)16,450 100 (1)185,460 100 201,907 100  
			 Missing/inconsistent data 34  725  759   
			 Total including missing/inconsistent data (1)16,485  (1)186,185  202,666   
			 (1) Totals rounded to nearest five as indicated.  Source: 'Statistics from The National Drug Treatment Monitoring System (NDTMS) 1 April 2007-31 March 2008'. Published September 2008. 
		
	
	
		
			  Main drug of misuse by age at triage for clients in treatment 2006-07 
			   Aged less than 18 years at triage  Aged 18 years or over at triage  All persons 
			   Number  Percentage  Number  Percentage  Number  Percentage  Median age at triage 
			 Heroin 965 6 117,305 66 118,270 61 31 
			 Methadone 30 0 10,822 6 10,852 6 34 
			 Other opiates 41 0 5,428 3 5,469 3 34 
			 Benzodiazepines 47 0 2,117 1 2,164 1 36 
			 Amphetamines 375 2 5,477 3 5,852 3 32 
			 Cocaine 716 5 10,078 6 10,794 6 28 
			 Crack 181 1 10,664 6 10,845 6 32 
			 Hallucinogens 35 0 205 0 240 0 24 
			 Ecstasy 477 3 575 0 1,052 1 18 
			 Cannabis 11,582 75 13,087 7 24,669 13 18 
			 Solvents 317 2 189 0 506 0 15 
			 Barbiturates 0 0 22 0 22 0 30 
			 Major tranquilisers 5 0 22 0 22 0 42 
			 Antidepressants 5 0 301 0 301 0 37 
			 Other drugs 44 0 755 0 799 0 32 
			 Poly use; no details 77 1 313 0 390 0 31 
			 Drug free at triage 463 3 1,005 1 1,468 1 28 
			 Total (clients) (1)15,355 100 (1)178,360 100 193,715 100  
			 Missing/inconsistent data 52  1,697  1,749   
			 Total including missing/inconsistent data (1)15,410  (1)180,060  195,464   
			 (1) Totals rounded to nearest five as indicated.  Source: 'Statistics from the National Drug Treatment Monitoring System (NDTMS) 1 April 2006-31 March 2007'. 
		
	
	
		
			  Main drug of misuse by age at triage for clients in treatment 2005-06 
			   Aged less than 18 years at triage  Aged 18 years or over at triage  All persons 
			   Number  Percentage  Number  Percentage  Number  Percentage  Median age at triage 
			 Heroin 1,039 8 108,112 67 109,151 63 30 
			 Methadone 30 0 10,136 6 10,166 6 33 
			 Other opiates 42 0 4,595 3 4,637 3 34 
			 Benzodiazepines 49 0 1,972 1 2,021 1 36 
			 Amphetamines 354 3 4,848 3 5,202 3 31 
			 Cocaine 517 4 7,787 5 8,304 5 28 
			 Crack 209 2 9,328 6 9,537 5 31 
			 Hallucinogens 28 0 158 0 186 0 26 
			 Ecstasy 378 3 533 0 911 1 19 
			 Cannabis 9,516 74 11,585 7 21,101 12 18 
			 Solvents 235 2 176 0 411 0 16 
			 Barbiturates 5 0 25 0 25 0 28 
			 Major tranquilisers 5 0 20 0 20 0 36 
			 Antidepressants 5 0 225 0 225 0 35 
			 Other drugs 28 0 601 0 629 0 31 
			 Poly use; no details 91 1 479 0 570 0 30 
			 Drug free at triage 286 2 1,069 1 1,355 1 32 
			 Total (clients) (1)12,805 100 (1)161,64 100 174,451 100  
			 Missing/inconsistent data 161  2,443  2,604   
			 Total including missing/inconsistent data (1)12,970  (1)164,085  177,055   
			 (1) Totals rounded to nearest five as indicated.  Source: 'Statistics from the National Drug Treatment Monitoring System (NDTMS) 1 April 2005-31 March 2006' 
		
	
	
		
			  Main drug of misuse by age at triage for NDTMS clients 2004-05( 1) 
			   Aged under 18 years at triage  Aged 18 years and over at triage  Total( 2)  Median age at triage 
			   Number  Percentage  Number  Percentage  Number  Percentage  Years 
			 Heroin 1,048 14 79,061 67 80,274 64 29 
			 Methadone 29 0 6,460 5 6,500 5 33 
			 Other opiates 29 0 3,950 3 3,980 3 33 
			 Benzodiazepines 32 0 1,759 1 1,793 1 36 
			 Amphetamines 219 3 3,518 3 3,760 3 30 
			 Cocaine 231 3 5,117 4 5,354 4 29 
			 Crack 144 2 6,909 6 7,061 6 31 
			 Hallucinogens 18 0 109 0 127 0 25 
			 Ecstasy 274 4 479 0 759 1 19 
			 Cannabis 5,033 67 8,312 7 13,408 11 20 
			 Solvents 158 2 138 0 301 0 17 
			 Barbiturates 0 0 28 0 28 0 29 
			 Major tranquillisers 0 0 10 0 10 0 42 
			 Antidepressants 3 0 158 0 161 0 36 
			 Other drugs1 164 2 1,341 1 1,511 1 31 
			 Poly use; no details 126 2 638 1 764 1 30 
			 Total 7,508 100 117,987 100 125,791 100  
			 Missing or inconsistent main drug data 83  1,594  1,710   
			 Total including missing and inconsistent main drug data 7,591  119,581  127,501   
			 (1) Excludes clients treated in the north-west region. (2) Includes 329 clients for whom age at triage unavailable.  Source: 'Statistics from the National Drug Treatment Monitoring System (NDTMS) 1 April 2004-31 March 2005'. Published 29 September 2006. 
		
	
	The NDTMS started collecting these data in 2004-05. The data for 2003-04 are not available centrally.
	The increase in the numbers of young people in treatment for drugs misuse reflects both the growth in treatment services for young people, and the success in getting more young people into treatment, rather than any increase in the actual incidence of substance misuse.

Foetal Alcohol Syndrome

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many babies have been diagnosed as having foetal alcohol syndrome in each year since 1997.

Gillian Merron: Analysis of Hospital Episodes Statistics (HES) data on the number of babies 'diagnosed' with Foetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) at birth shows that there are approximately 20 such babies diagnosed each year. This is not the number of babies actually born with FAS: it is widely recognised that many cases of FAS are only diagnosed later in childhood, and hence will not be identified through the national HES database, or may remain undiagnosed as children with learning or behavioural difficulty of unknown cause.

Health Services: Armed Forces

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many armed forces veterans have received priority NHS care in each of the last 10 years.

Mike O'Brien: Priority access to national health service secondary care for any conditions which are likely to be related to their service (subject to the clinical needs of all patients) previously available only to war pensioners, was extended to all veterans (someone who has served at least one day in the United Kingdom armed forces) from 1 January 2008. Data on numbers of veterans receiving priority treatment are not collected centrally.

In Vitro Fertilisation

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent estimate he has made of the number of primary care trusts which have implemented National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence recommendations on provision of both single embryo transfer and three cycles of in vitro fertilisation/intracytoplasmic sperm injection.

Gillian Merron: A recent survey on the number of cycles of in vitro fertilisation (IVF) offered by primary care trusts was published on the Department's website in June 2009 and can be found at:
	www.dh.gov.uk/en/Healthcare/Fertility/index.htm
	The references to IVF also include intracytoplasmic sperm injection. We do not collect information centrally on the local implementation of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority's policy of licensed fertility clinics increasing single embryo transfer in order to reduce the incidence of multiple births following IVF.

Incontinence

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he plans to revise his Department's guidance on good practice in continence services issued in 2000.

Mike O'Brien: No.

Intensive Care

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many episodes of level  (a) 3 and  (b) 2 critical care there were in each NHS trust in England in 2008.

Mike O'Brien: This information is not available centrally. I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 1 July 2009,  Official Report, column 343W.

NHS: Waiting Lists

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average waiting time for an NHS operation was in  (a) the East of England,  (b) Essex and  (c) Castle Point in (i) 1997 and (ii) each of the last five years.

Mike O'Brien: Data is not available in the format requested.
	Data is provided by the strategic health authority (SHA) and by their preceding organisations. national health service organisations have changed structure over time. For the periods requested, the best possible fit of organisation(s) has been used to reflect the median in patient waiting time in each of the three areas for 1997 and 2005-09.
	
		
			March 1997  March 2005  March 2006  March 2007  March 2008  March 2009  May 2009 
			 East of England East of England SHA6.8 4.9 4.3 4.5 
			  Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire SHA  8.8 7.3 
			  Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire SHA  9.0 7.8 
			  Essex SHA  8.1 7.1 
			  Bedfordshire HA 14.4   
			  Cambridge and Huntington HA 12.4   
			  North Essex HA 15.3   
			  South Essex HA 13.1   
			  East Norfolk HA 12.6   
			  North West Anglia HA 12.3   
			  Suffolk HA 14.4   
			  East and North Hertfordshire 14.5   
			  West Hertfordshire 14.7   
		
	
	
		
			March 1997  March 2005  March 2006  March 2007  March 2008  March 2009  May 2009 
			 Essex East of England SHA6.3 4.4 4.3 4.5 
			  Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire SHA7.5 5.5 3.9 4.0 
			  Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire SHA6.5 5.6 4.7 5.2 
			  Essex SHA7.9 5.2 4.7 5.1 
			  Bedfordshire HA5.8 4.6 3.6 4.1 
			  Cambridge and Huntington HA  8.1 7.1 
			  North Essex HA 15.3   
			  South Essex HA 13.1   
		
	
	
		
			March 1997  March 2005  March 2006  March 2007  March 2008  March 2009  May 2009 
			  South East Essex PCT6.3 4.4 4.3 4.5 
			  Castle Point and Rochford PCT  6.2 7.3 
			  South Essex HA 13.1   
			  Notes: In April 2006-07 weekly timebands were introduced which replaced the monthly timebands. In April 2005-06 monthly timebands were introduced replacing the three monthly timebands.  Source: QF01 and Monthly Monitoring

Nurses: Training

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether nurses receive  (a) pre-registration and  (b) post-registration education and training in the provision of continence services.

Ann Keen: Education and training for all nurses is the responsibility of their employers in light of local priorities and local assessment of training needs. Nurses receive training in continence services during their preparation for registration, and as part of their continuing professional development.

Prescriptions: Fees and Charges

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health with reference to page 219 of his Department's Annual Report 2009, whether the projections for prescription charge income take account of his Department's proposals in relation to the exemption from prescription charges of people with long-term illnesses.

Mike O'Brien: No.

HOUSE OF COMMONS COMMISSION

Security Guards: Parliament

Tom Brake: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission how many days sickness absence have been taken by security officers of each category working on the Parliamentary estate in each year since 2000.

Nick Harvey: The following data has been provided by the Palace of Westminster Head of Security:
	 Working days lost due to sickness absencesecurity staff only:
	 2000-01
	Security Officers: 1,391
	Security Officer Managers: 50
	 2001 - 02
	Security Officers: 1,271
	Security Officer Managers: 25
	 2002-03
	Security Officers: 1,808
	Security Officer Managers: 101
	 2003-04
	Security Officers: 1,951
	Security Officer Managers: 34
	 2004-05
	Security Officers: 1,849
	Security Officer Managers: 44
	 2005-06
	Security Officers: 2,719
	Security Officer Managers: 131
	 2006-07
	Security Officers: 3,071
	Security Officer Managers: 36
	 2007-08
	Security Officers: 2,701
	Security Officer Managers: 61
	 2008-09
	Security Officers: 3,781
	Security Officer Managers: 154

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Kenya: Overseas Aid

Stephen Crabb: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps his Department is taking to build capacity to support democratic institutions in Kenya.

Gareth Thomas: The Department for International Development (DFID) has provided consistent support to the political reform agenda in Kenya, through the national reconciliation process led by Kofi Annan, and support to parliamentary reform, public sector reform, land reform, police reform, public financial management reform and empowerment of civil society. In 2008-09 this support amounted to 3.6 million.
	Other DFID programmes are helping to tackle some of the underlying causes of conflict and political tension, such as social and regional inequalities.
	I and other Ministers, including the Prime Minister, maintain a dialogue with Kenyan politicians on the need to accelerate political reform in Kenya.

Kenya: Overseas Aid

Stephen Crabb: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assistance his Department is providing to the government of Kenya for the promotion and implementation of the National Accord.

Gareth Thomas: The UK Government are the leading donor to the process led by Kofi Annan to co-ordinate international support to the National Accord, which has included the Kriegler and Waki Commissions on elections and post-election violence; constitutional, judicial, police and electoral reforms, and the issue of impunity.
	We have provided 1.4 million (200,000 in 2007-08 and 1.2 million in 2008-09). All support has jointly been managed by the Department for International Development and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, through the Africa Conflict Prevention Programme. This money is provided through a trust fund rather than directly to the Government of Kenya, but it supports and stimulates the Government's leadership.

Kenya: Overseas Aid

Stephen Crabb: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent steps his Department has taken to assist the development of civic society in Kenya.

Gareth Thomas: Since 2000 the Department for International Development (DFID) has supported civil society in Kenya principally through its 7.5 million Political Empowerment Programme. Areas of support have included the National Civic Education Programme, gender, and anti-corruption and accountability work through NGOs such as Transparency International Kenya and the National Taxpayers Association. A further 1.2 million has been provided in 2008-09 to civil society organisations working on the peace and reform agenda following the post-election violence.
	DFID is currently designing a new governance programme with Canada and Denmark which would increase our support to civil society in Kenya. Details will be finalised later this year.
	In addition to the above, several civil society organisations working in Kenya have received funding from DFID's centrally-managed Governance and Transparency Fund and Civil Society Challenge Fund.

Pakistan: Overseas Aid

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what projects his Department funded in the Federally-Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan in  (a) 2005-06,  (b) 2006-07,  (c) 2007-08 and  (d) 2008-09; which organisations were involved in the delivery of each such project; and how much funding was allocated to each such project.

Michael Foster: Since 2005, the Department for International Development (DFID) has provided direct support to one programme in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA)the FATA Secretariat Capacity Building Programme. Our funding allocation totals 1 million, and delivery is being implemented by the FATA Secretariat over the period 2008-10.
	DFID has provided 22 million of humanitarian support since September 2008 to help those displaced by conflict in both the FATA and the North West Frontier Province, which has been channelled through the United Nations, the International Committee of the Red Cross and non-governmental organisations.
	In addition, since 2005 DFID has supported the following nationwide programmes, which have helped provide services in the FATA as well as other parts of Pakistan:
	
		
			  Pakistan 
			  Programme  Implementing agency  Commitment ( million) 
			 National Health and Population Facility Ministry of Health 100 
			 Polio Eradication Initiative WHO/UNICEF 31 
			 Maternal and Newborn Health Initiative Ministry of Health 91 
			 Achieving Universal Access to Control HIV/AIDS Ministry of Health (World Bank Trust Fund) 5.9 
			 Rural Support Programmes Network (RSPN) RSPN 11 
			 Financial Inclusion Programme State Bank of Pakistan 50 
			 Voluntary Repatriation of Afghan Refugees UNHCR 1

Pakistan: Overseas Aid

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much bilateral aid his Department provided to Pakistan in each of the last five years; and on what projects such aid was spent.

Michael Foster: The Department for International Development (DFID) provided the following bilateral aid to Pakistan over the last five years.
	
		
			  Pakistan  Commitment ( million) 
			 2004-05 31.3 
			 2005-06 97.4 
			 2006-07 101.1 
			 2007-08 86.9 
			 2008-09 (1)120.8 
			 (1) Estimate 
		
	
	A table showing the main aid projects supported by DFID in this period will be placed in the Library of the House.

JUSTICE

Departmental Flags

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much money has been spent on maintaining flags owned by his Department in the last year.

Jack Straw: The expenditure on flag maintenance by the Ministry in the financial year 2008-09 is stated in the following table:
	
		
			
			 Ministry of Justice HQ 1,127 
			 HM Courts Service (1)35,743 
			 Tribunals Service 0 
			 Office of the Public Guardian 0 
			 Total 36,870 
			 (1) Of the 35,743 for HM Courts Service, 24,052 was incurred on the provision and removal of flags, as well as flag maintenance. It is not possible to separate the two elements without a detail review of invoices that would incur disproportionate cost. 
		
	
	Flag maintenance expenditure includes the testing, inspection and surveying of the flags to ensure that they are in full operating condition.
	Data on the operation and maintenance of flags by the National Offender Management Service at held locally by prisons and probation boards/trusts and can be collated only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Food

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what percentage of the  (a) meat,  (b) fruit and  (c) vegetables procured by his Department in the last 12 months was produced in the UK.

Claire Ward: Percentages of  (a) meat,  (b) fruit and  (c) vegetables used by the Ministry of Justice that were produced in the UK are shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Percentage 
			  Category  Ministry of Justice (excluding Her Majesty's Prison Service)  Public sector prisons  Private sector prisons 
			  (a) Meat
			 Poultry 86 29 44 
			 Beef and Veal 72 13 31 
			 Mutton and Lamb 52 50 1 
			 Bacon 14 0 68 
			 Pork 65 23 50 
			  (b) Fruit
			 Orchard FallApples, pears and plums 42 0 44 
			 Soft fruitStrawberries, raspberries, blackberries and blackcurrants. 41 0 12 
			  (c) Vegetables
			 Ware potatoeswhole, unprepared 93 98 52 
			 Processed potatoeswhole and cut 79 65 67 
			 Roots and Onionscarrots, parsnips, onions, turnips and Swedes 83 46 82 
			 BrassicasBrussels sprouts, cabbage and cauliflower 73 77 49 
			 Legumesbeans and peas 84 31 32 
			 Protected vegetablestomatoes, cucumbers, salad, celery, sweet peppers 45 41 44 
			 Other vegetables asparagus, leeks and watercress 49 21 55 
			 Overall indigenous food by value n/a 61 n/a 
			 Overall indigenous food by volume 67 49 56 
		
	
	This most recent information is contained in a Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs report for 2007-08 detailing the proportion of food grown or reared in the UK used by Whitehall departments, including that supplied to Ministry of Justice including public sector prisons in England and Wales under contracts negotiated by HM Prison Service, now part of the National Offender Management Service (NOMS).
	A copy of this report was placed in the House of Commons Library and can also be obtained at the following web link:
	http://www.defra.gov.uk/farm/policy/sustain/procurement/pdf/psfpi-datareport081125.pdf
	These figures, compared to last year, show a growing trend in favour of domestically produced food used within the Ministry of Justice.

Departmental Internet

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much was spent on the maintenance of his departmental website in each year since 2007.

Jack Straw: The Ministry does not separately identify expenditure on website maintenance in its accounting records. However, the Ministry's Electronic Service Delivery division holds offline records for the following business areas:
	
		
			   
			   2008-09  2007-08 
			 Ministry of Justice HQ 1,410,000 1,625,160 
			 Tribunals Service 146,256 0 
			 Office of the Public Guardian 0 18,000 
			 Total 1,556,256 1,643,160 
		
	
	It is not possible to reliably distinguish website maintenance costs from other IT expenditure for HM Courts Service and the National Offenders Management Service except at disproportionate cost.

Fraud: Property

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many convictions for offences of fraud in relation to property leases there were in  (a) England and Wales,  (b) the North East,  (c) Teesside and  (d) Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland constituency in each of the last 10 years.

Claire Ward: The number of defendants found guilty at all courts for 'obtaining property by deception' in Cleveland police force area, the North East Region and England and Wales, for the years 1998 to 2007 is shown in the following table.
	Data have been provided for Cleveland police force area as information for Teesside and Middlesbrough and East Cleveland constituency is not collected centrally.
	The Fraud Act 2006 which was implemented in January 2007 repealed eight sections of the Theft Acts 1968-1996, including section 15 of the Theft Act 1968, Obtaining property by deception.
	Government are determined to tackle the problem of fraud, whether the victim is a multi-million pound organisation or a single individual.
	Following a cross-Whitehall review of fraud, Government have allocated 29 million over three years to implement the National Fraud Programme. This includes the creation of a National Fraud Strategic Authority, launched last October, which published its first National Fraud Strategy on 19 March.
	The statistics provided in this answer are for fraud offences where either the statute or the offence description identifies the fraud as relating to 'property fraud'. However, the definition of property under the 1968 Theft Act is as follows:
	Property includes money and all other property, real or personal, including things in action and other tangible property.
	Therefore this could include a fraudulent acquisition of anything from a mortgage to a mobile phone. A number of other fraud offences may include 'property fraud', but as the individual circumstances of the offence are not held on the court proceedings database maintained by the Office for Criminal Justice Reform, it is not possible to separately identify them. One example of this is Section 2 of the 2006 Fraud Act, which came into force on 14 January 2007 and states:
	Dishonestly making a false representation to make a gain for oneself or another.
	Data under this offence have not been included in the table, as it may cover offences not connected with property. The number of defendants found guilty under this offence in England and Wales from 14 January to 31 December 2007 was 2,574.
	These data are on the principal offence basis. The figures given in the table on court proceedings relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offence for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences, the offence selected is the one for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe.
	Court proceedings data for 2008 will be available in the autumn of 2009.
	
		
			  Number of defendants found guilty at all courts for offences under section 15 of the Theft Act 1968, in Cleveland police force area, the North-East Region and England and Wales, 1998 to 2007( 1, 2, 3, 4) 
			   1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007( 3) 
			 Cleveland Police Force Area 143 157 131 104 98 68 74 57 39 14 
			 North East Region (5) 732 745 703 650 573 470 418 372 271 129 
			 England and Wales 11,438 11,478 10,430 9,438 9,354 8,457 7,519 6,472 5,080 2,470 
			 (1) These data are on the principal offence basis. (2) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts, and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. (3) The Fraud Act 2006 repealed S15 of the Theft Act 1968 and was implemented in January 2007. (4) Staffordshire police force were only able to submit sample data for persons proceeded against and convicted in the magistrates courts for the year 2000. Although sufficient to estimate higher orders of data, these data are not robust enough at a detailed level and have been excluded from the table. (5) North East Region comprises Cleveland, Durham and Northumbria police force areas.  Source: OCJR - E.  A: Office for Criminal Justice Reform - Evidence  Analysis Unit

Judicial Appointments for England and Wales

Dominic Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many recommendations for the appointment of judges have been made to him in his capacity as Lord Chancellor in each of the last three years.

Jack Straw: In the last three financial years the number of recommendations for the appointment of judges that have been made to me are set out as follows:
	
		
			   Number 
			 2006-07 460 
			 2007-08 458 
			 2008-09 449

Judicial Appointments for England and Wales

Dominic Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many appointments the Judicial Appointments Commission has made in each of the last three years.

Jack Straw: The Judicial Appointments Commission made the following number of selections in each of the following years:
	
		
			   Number 
			 2006-07 88 
			 2007-08 458 
			 2008-09 449

Life Imprisonment

Dominic Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what average period of imprisonment had been served by prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment who were released in  (a) 2007 and  (b) 2008.

Jack Straw: The numbers of life sentenced prisoners released in 2007 along with average period spent in custody for those on first release is shown in the following table.
	
		
			   Number/years 
			 Total released 146 
			   
			  Mandatory lifers  
			 Number 90 
			 Average time served (years) 16 
			   
			  Other lifers  
			 Number 56 
			 Average time served (years) 9 
		
	
	These figures are taken from the Offender Management Caseload Statistics 2007 published by Offender Management and Sentencing Analytical Services, Ministry of Justice. This bulletin is available in the Library of the House and is available at:
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/statistics
	The 2008 figure will be published in Offender Management Caseload Statistics 2008 at the end of July 2009. The publication of this bulletin has been pre-announced on the Ministry of Justice and United Kingdom Statistics Authority websites.

National Offender Management Service: Pay

Dominic Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much the National Offender Management Service has spent on staff salaries in each financial year since its establishment.

Jack Straw: Staff in NOMS were part of the Home Office from 2004-05 until the creation of the new Ministry of Justice in May 2007. Staff salary costs for the years in question were as follows:
	
		
			million 
			 2004-05 37.4 
			 2005-06 55.7 
			 2006-07 66.9 
			 2007-08 83.1 
		
	
	Since October 2008, about a further 1,000 staff have returned from the Home Office to the new NOMS Agency, adding a further 19 million approximately to the paybill for the remainder of the 2008-09 financial year. This process is continuing as more Offender Management responsibilities return to the new NOMS Agency. Costs for 2008-09 will be included in the total NOMS Agency cost, figures for which will be available shortly.

Police: Hoaxes and False Alarms

Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people were fined for an offence of  (a) wasting police time and  (b) giving a false report in each year since 2003.

Claire Ward: The number of persons issued with a fine at all courts for the offence of causing wasteful use of police time, wasting police time, and giving false report etc under Section 5 (2) of the Criminal Law Act 1967 in England and Wales for the years 2003 to 2007 (latest available) is shown in table 1.
	These data are on the principal offence basis. The figures given in the table on court proceedings relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offence for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences, the offence selected is the one for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe.
	Court proceedings data for 2008 will be available in the autumn of 2009.
	In addition, the offence can attract a penalty notice for disorder (PND). The number of persons issued with a PND in England and Wales for the years 2004 to 2007 (latest available) can be viewed in table 2.
	The Penalty Notice for Disorder Scheme was made available to all forces in England and Wales from April 2004.
	PND data for 2008 will be available in the autumn of 2009.
	
		
			  Table 1: The number of persons Issued with a fine at all courts for the offence 'Causing wasteful employment of the police etc' in England and Wales, 2003 to 2007( 1,2,3) 
			   Fine 
			 2003 22 
			 2004 32 
			 2005 34 
			 2006 32 
			 2007 37 
			 (1) The figures given in the table on court proceedings relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences it Is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe. (2) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. (3) Includes the following statute and corresponding offence description: Criminal Law Act 1967 Sec 5(2). Causing wasteful employment of the police etc.  Source:  Evidence and Analysis Unit - Office for Criminal Justice Reform, Ministry of Justice 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Number of penalty notices for disorder (PNDs) issued to offenders aged 16 and over for the offence 'Wasting Police Time' in England and Wales, 2004 to 20071,2 
			  Offence  2004  2005  2006  2007 
			 Wasting police time 1,171 2,525 3,933 3,966 
			 (1) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. ( 2) The Penalty Notice for Disorder Scheme commenced in 2004.  Source:  Evidence and Analysis Unit - Office for Criminal Justice Reform, Ministry of Justice

Probation Officers: Hampshire

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many probation staff, excluding trainee probation officers, were in post in the Probation Service in the ceremonial county of Hampshire on 31 December 2007.

Maria Eagle: There were 249 full-time equivalent (FTE) staff on 31 December 2007 (based on the December FTE payroll report) for the ceremonial county of Hampshire (i.e. excluding the Isle of Wight). There were an additional 31 trainee probation officers (FTE) in post.

Probation Officers: Hampshire

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many probation staff, excluding trainee probation officers, were in post in the Probation Service in the ceremonial county of Hampshire on 31 December 1997.

Maria Eagle: Prior to 2003, workforce information pertaining to the Probation Service was collected by the Home Office RDS Unit and published in an annual Probation Statistics Report. The information available from that time does not enable us to extract data for a particular probation area or job group within that area.

Probation Officers: Manpower

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how many probation staff, excluding trainee probation officers, were in post in the Probation Service in England and Wales on 31 December 2007;
	(2)  how many probation staff, excluding trainee probation officers, were in post in the Probation Service in England and Wales on 31 December 1997.

Maria Eagle: The following table shows the number of probation staff, excluding trainee probation officers, in post in England and Wales on 31 December 1997 and 2007:
	
		
			   Staff in post excluding trainees 
			 1997 13,968 
			 2007 19,756 
			  Note: Figures shown as full-time equivalents.

Probation: Staffordshire

Michael Fabricant: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many  (a) probation staff and  (b) trainee probation officers he expects will be made redundant in Staffordshire probation area in (i) 2009-10 and (ii) 2010-12.

Jack Straw: I understand that it is not the intention of Staffordshire probation area to make any compulsory redundancies.
	The position regarding the seven trainee probation officers due to qualify in October 2009 is currently uncertain. At this stage, no probation posts have been identified as being at risk and no formal notice of redundancy has been issued.

Road Traffic Offences: Electric Vehicles

Lembit �pik: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many convictions for road traffic offences relating to the use of personal transporters there were in the calendar years  (a) 2001,  (b) 2002,  (c) 2003,  (d) 2004,  (e) 2005,  (f) 2006,  (g) 2007,  (h) 2008 and  (i) 2009 to date; how many pending prosecutions are outstanding; and if he will make a statement.

Claire Ward: From data held on the court proceedings database by the Ministry of Justice, it is not possible to identify the type of vehicle involved in road traffic offences.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Departmental Drinking Water

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland 
	(1)  how much his Department has spent on water coolers in each of the last six months;
	(2)  how much his Department spent on bottled water in each of the last six months.

Shaun Woodward: The following table shows how much the Northern Ireland Office, including the Public Prosecution Service Northern Ireland, and excluding its agencies and NDPBs has spent on bottled water in each of the last six months.
	
		
			
			 October 2008 1,541 
			 November 2008 584 
			 December 2008 1,464 
			 January 2009 803 
			 February 2009 249 
			 March 2009 176 
		
	
	This includes expenditure on rental and maintenance of water coolers or dispensers.

Departmental Energy

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much  (a) electricity and  (b) gas was used (i) on his Department's estate and (ii) by his Department's agencies in each year from 2004-05 to 2008-09.

Shaun Woodward: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Tunbridge Wells (Greg Clark) on 5 May 2009,  Official Report, column 10W.

Departmental Energy

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much was spent on energy efficiency measures for his Department's estate in each year from 2004 to 2009; what assessment has been made of the effectiveness of that expenditure; and what plans he has for future energy efficiency measures.

Shaun Woodward: My Department does not separately record all expenditure on energy efficiency measures, therefore this information could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	We have however taken a number of steps in our various buildings to improve energy efficiency, including; increasing staff awareness, 'switch off campaigns', upgrading building management systems, adoption of a 'Green IT' strategy, investment in generating energy from renewable sources, purchase of green electricity, installation of a CHP system, and fitting out some buildings to encompass energy efficiency measures as defined in the 2006 Building Regulations Technical Booklet Part FConservation of Fuel and Power (NT).
	Future energy efficiency measures will be considered as part of our overall accommodation strategy.

Departmental Flags

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many flags his Department owns.

Shaun Woodward: There are three flags owned by the core Northern Ireland Office Department.

Departmental Marketing

Ann Coffey: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much has been spent by his Department on advertising in weekly and regional newspapers in the last five years.

Shaun Woodward: The finance system of the Northern Ireland Office (NIO) does not break down advertising expenditure in the detail requested therefore these figures could only be provided at disproportionate cost.
	However the NIO, excluding its agencies and Executive NDPBs, spent the following on advertising in the last five years.
	
		
			   Advertising expenditure () 
			 2004-05 548,451 
			 2005-06 159,146 
			 2006-07 190,204 
			 2007-08 454,075 
			 2008-09 230,322

Departmental Pay

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland which  (a) sections of his Department and  (b) non-departmental public bodies for which he is responsible have requested money saved from efficiency savings to be used for increased pay on their 2009 pay offers to staff.

Shaun Woodward: With the exception of the Northern Ireland Prison Service (an Executive Agency of the Northern Ireland Office), no sections of the Northern Ireland Office, including the Public Prosecution Service Northern Ireland, or its NDPBs, have requested money saved from efficiency savings to be used for increased pay in their 2009 pay offers to staff.
	The Northern Ireland Prison Service agreed a three-year pay and efficiency package which was implemented from 1 April 2007. The agreement was conditional on the delivery of significant efficiency savings over the period and this has been validated by the Prison Service Pay Review Body.

Public Expenditure

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the cost to the public purse of the Consultative Group on the Past has been since its inception in June 2007.

Paul Goggins: The Consultative Group on the Past was announced on 22 June 2007 and launched its report on 28 January 2009. The cost to the public purse since the Group's establishment has been 1.28 million.

PRIME MINISTER

Draft Legislative Programme

Hywel Williams: To ask the Prime Minister what discussions he has had with  (a) ministerial colleagues and  (b) Welsh Assembly Government Ministers on his draft legislative programme for 2009-10 prior to its publication; and if he will make a statement.

Gordon Brown: I and my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Wales (Peter Hain) have regular meetings and discussions with ministerial colleagues and others on a wide range of subjects, including on the legislative programme.

Eastern Europe

Greg Hands: To ask the Prime Minister on what occasions since June 2007 he has met  (a) President Vclav Klaus of the Czech Republic,  (b) President Lech Kaczynski of Poland and  (c) President Dmitri Medvedev of the Russian Federation.

Gordon Brown: I have regular discussions with European leaders, including at European Council meetings and G8 and G20 summits.
	I last met President Vclav Klaus on 8 November 2007 in London. I last met President Lech Kaczynski at the European Council meeting on 18-19 June 2009 in Brussels. I last met President Dmitri Medvedev at the G20 summit on 1 April 2009 in London.

Email

Frank Field: To ask the Prime Minister whether members of the public are able to email the Prime Minister.

Gordon Brown: Yes.

Intelligence and Security Committee: Manpower

Lynne Jones: To ask the Prime Minister what the  (a) name,  (b) job title and  (c) date of appointment to post is of each member of staff providing support to the Intelligence and Security Committee.

Gordon Brown: The current Clerk of the Intelligence and Security Committee is Emma-Louise Avery, a Cabinet Office senior civil servant appointed through open competition in January 2006. The Clerk is supported in her duties by a deputy and three assistants. Administrative support is provided by an office manager and a personal secretary. It is established practice not to disclose the personal details of staff appointments below the senior civil service.

SCOTLAND

Departmental Correspondence

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what his Department's  (a) target and  (b) actual performance for the time taken to respond to correspondence was in the most recent period for which figures are available.

Ann McKechin: Details of the Scotland Office correspondence performance targets and actual figures are published each year in our annual report, which can be accessed at:
	www.scotlandoffice.gov.uk

Departmental Energy

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland which official is responsible for the energy efficiency of his Department's estate.

Ann McKechin: For these purposes the Scotland Office sits within the corporate framework of the Ministry of Justice. I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Member for North Swindon (Mr. Wills) on 19 June 2009,  Official Report, column 540W.

Departmental Manpower

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland whether any full-time equivalent members of staff in his Department are working on projects relating to the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Ann McKechin: The Scotland Office does not have any members of staff working on projects relating to the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

TREASURY

Departmental Buildings

Don Foster: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether any full-time equivalent staff in  (a) his Department and  (b) its associated public bodies are working on projects relating to legacy planning for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Liam Byrne: HM Treasury and its associated public bodies have a number of staff involved in working across Government and with other partners on these issues as part of their wider roles.

Members: Correspondence

Damian Green: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he plans to reply to the letter from the hon. Member for Ashford of 23 October 2008, reference 62109/2008.

Stephen Timms: A reply has been sent to the hon. Member.

Members: Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he plans to reply to the letter of 5 January 2009 from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton on Mr. E. Warne.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: A reply has been sent to the right hon. Member.

Members: Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he plans to reply to the letter of 5 January 2009 from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Mr. E Warne.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: A reply has been sent to the right hon. Member.

National Insurance

Steve Webb: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what upgrade is being undertaken to the National Insurance computer system; what assessment he has made of the effect of the upgrade on  (a) access to National Insurance records and  (b) the time taken to process new claims for retirement pension; and when he expects the upgrade to be completed.

Stephen Timms: HMRC has upgraded the National Insurance computer system as part of its continuing process of improvements to its customer service. The new PAYE service will introduce one single record for an individual's PAYE pay and tax details irrespective of the number of PAYE sources of income they have. This will result in more accurate tax codes and also enable HMRC to deal with the vast majority of customer enquiries at one point of contact.
	Apart from a brief planned service interruption before the changeover to the New PAYE Service on 29 June 2009, it has not affected access to National Insurance records. All customer enquiries and NI processing are being dealt with as normal. In particular it has not had any impact on claims for the state pension, which is administered by the Department of Work and Pensions.

Public Service Delivery

Gary Streeter: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent steps his Department has taken to co-ordinate the improvement of public service delivery.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 1 July 2009
	HM Treasury works closely with the Cabinet Office on coordinating and monitoring delivery of key initiatives. The Government have recently set out its approach to improving public services in publications such as Excellence and Fairness: Achieving World Class Public Services; Working Together: Public Services on your side and Building Britain's Future.
	The approaches outlined support the Public Service Agreements which set out the Government's top priorities for improving public services and other outcomes. At the Comprehensive Spending Review 2007, the Government set out 30 cross-departmental PSAs covering areas such as better health and wellbeing, safer communities and educational standards. Progress on PSAs is reported to Parliament in the Departmental Annual Reports and the Autumn Performance Report. The Prime Minister's Delivery Unit within the Treasury works closely with other government departments to support improvements to public services through the delivery of cross-departmental PSAs.

WALES

Correspondence

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what his Department's  (a) target and  (b) actual performance for the time taken to respond to correspondence was in the most recent period for which figures are available.

Peter Hain: The Wales Office publishes correspondence statistics in its annual report and to the Cabinet Office for their annual report to Parliament.
	The Wales Office aims to respond to written correspondence within 15 working days. As reported in my Department's annual report, 90 per cent. was answered within the time scale during 2008-09.

WOMEN AND EQUALITY

Departmental Databases

Tom Watson: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality what information databases the Government Equalities Office  (a) maintain and  (b) uses which do not contain personal information.

Michael Jabez Foster: The Government Equalities Office does not maintain any computer databases that contain personal information.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Carer's Allowance: South Yorkshire

Jeff Ennis: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people have been in receipt of carer's allowance in  (a) Barnsley and  (b) Doncaster in the last 12 months.

Jonathan R Shaw: The information is in the following table.
	
		
			  Carer's allowancecases in payment 
			  2008  Barnsley  Doncaster 
			 February 2,690 3,360 
			 May 2,690 3,380 
			 August 2,730 3,430 
			 November 2,810 3,480 
			  Notes: Figures are rounded to the nearest 10. Caseload totals show the number of people in receipt of an allowance and exclude people with entitlement, but who do not actually receive carer's allowance, for example, because of the overlapping benefits rule.  Source: DWP Information Directorate.

Carer's Allowance: Enfield

Joan Ryan: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people were in receipt of carer's allowance in  (a) the London borough of Enfield and  (b) Enfield North constituency on the latest date for which figures are available.

Jonathan R Shaw: The information is in the following table.
	
		
			  Carer's allowancecases in payment caseloads by local authority and constituency of claimant: November 2008 
			   Number 
			 Enfield Local Authority 2,170 
			 Enfield North Parliamentary Constituency 840 
			  Notes: 1. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10. 2. Caseload totals show the number of people in receipt of an allowance and exclude people with entitlement, but who do not actually receive carer's allowance, for example, because of the overlapping benefits rule.  Source: DWP Information Directorate: Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study.

Disability Living Allowance: Epilepsy

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people with epilepsy in  (a) England,  (b) Scotland,  (c) Wales and  (d) Northern Ireland claim disability living allowance; and what the cost to the public purse of such benefits was in the latest period for which figures are available.

Jonathan R Shaw: holding answer 29 June 2009
	Information regarding Northern Ireland is a matter for the Northern Ireland Office.
	The information is not available in the format requested. The available information is in the following table.
	
		
			  Disability living allowance: epilepsy cases in payment, November 2008, and estimated cost in 2008-09 
			   Disability living allowance, epilepsy cases in payment, November 2008  Estimated cost in 2008- 09  ( million), cash prices 
			 England 56,400 198 
			 Scotland 8,600 31 
			 Wales 4,700 15 
			  Notes: Cases in Payment are Caseload Totals. These show the number of people in receipt of an allowance, and exclude people with entitlement where the payment has been suspended, for example if they are in hospital. Latest available data are presented here. Numbers are rounded to the nearest hundred. Caseload Numbers are based on a 5 per cent. sample rated in line with the DWP Information Directorate: Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study (WPLS) total caseload, and are therefore subject to a degree of sampling variation. Estimated caseloads for 2008-09 are the average of caseloads at August and November 2008. Expenditure estimated using 5 per cent. data is adjusted by the ratio of total expenditure estimated on 5 per cent. data to outturn total expenditure. Estimated costs are subject to revision when February 2009 caseloads are available. From October 2008 the way in which a disabling condition is recorded on the live system changed. Disabling conditions are now recorded as primary and secondary, (previously recorded as disability care and mobility codes). For existing cases a mapping exercise was carried out which assigned disability care code to primary disabling condition and disability mobility code to secondary condition. IFD have updated the methodology used to derive main disabling condition to reflect this change in the live system. A diagnosed medical condition does not mean that someone is automatically entitled to disability living allowance. Entitlement is dependent on an assessment of how much help someone needs with personal care and/or mobility because of their disability. These statistics are only collected for administrative purposes  Sources: Caseloads: DWP Information Directorate, 5 per cent. sample. Cases included are those where epilepsy is the main disabling condition. Estimated cost: based on applying allowance rates to estimated caseload by care and mobility rate and adjusting by ratio of total outturn estimated from 5 per cent. sample to actual total outturn.